Virtual network using asynchronous transfer mode

Claim 2

For a communication system including a plurality of ports where each port has a unique port address, where sending ports have sending port addresses, and where receiving ports have receiving port addresses, and where the communication system includes a plurality of stations where each station has, a unique station address distinguishing the station from other stations, a connection to one of said ports for communications between source stations at the sending ports and destination stations at the receiving ports, packet means for providing packets for transferring information, said information including a destination station address for addressing one or a group of said destination stations, and packet converter means connected to said packet means for converting between packets and cells for transfers between stations; an apparatus comprising: connection means for connecting said sending ports to said receiving ports, address resolution means for determining a particular one or more of said receiving port addresses corresponding to said destination station address, said address resolution means including multicast means for multicasting said destination station address from a particular one of said source stations to a group of said destination stations, said multicast means including, response means for providing said particular one or more of said receiving port addresses corresponding to said destination station address, and reply means for transmitting said particular one or more of said receiving port addresses to a sending port; and connection management means connected to receive said one or more receiving port addresses from said address resolution means for requesting connections through said networking apparatus connecting said sending ports to said receiving ports whereby packets are transferred from source stations to destination stations by cell transfers.

Claim 3

In the system of claim 1 wherein said connection means includes means for connecting a sending port to many receiving ports.

Claim 4

In the system of claim 1 wherein said management means includes means for transferring configuration parameters between stations and said connection means.

Claim 5

In the system of claim 3 wherein said management means includes means for transferring multicast configuration parameters between stations and said connection means.

Claim 6

In the system of claim 1 wherein said management means includes means for transferring unicast configuration parameters between stations.

Claim 7

In the system of claim 1 wherein said connection means includes a single ATM switch.

Claim 8

In the system of claim 1 wherein said destination station address corresponds to a particular destination station of said group of said destination stations and wherein said reply means includes, means for establishing a port-to-port connection between said particular destination station at a receiving port and said particular one of said source stations at a sending port.

Claim 9

In the system of claim 1 wherein, in said multicast means, said response means provides one of said particular one or more of said receiving port addresses for a particular destination station having said destination station address, said reply means establishes a port-to-port connection between said particular destination station at a receiving port and said particular one of said source stations at a sending port, and said management means includes means for transmitting cells between said particular one of said source stations and said particular destination station over said port-to-port connection.

Claim 10

For a communication system including a plurality of ports, including sending ports and receiving ports, where each port has a unique port address, where sending ports have sending port addresses and receiving ports have receiving port addresses, and including a plurality of stations where each station has, a unique station address distinguishing the station from other stations, a connection for an ATM network at one of said ports whereby source stations at the sending ports communicate with destination stations at the receiving ports, packet means for providing packets for transferring information where the information includes a destination station address for addressing one or a group of said destination stations, packet converter means connected to said packet means for converting between packets and cells for transfers between stations, an apparatus comprising: one or more ATM switches for connecting said sending ports to said receiving ports for communications through said one or more ATM switches to form the ATM network, address resolution means for determining a particular one of said receiving port addresses corresponding to said destination station address, said address resolution means including multicast means for multicasting said destination station address from a particular one of said source stations to a group of said destination stations, wherein said group of destination stations that receive the multicast destination station address constitutes a local network, connection management means connected to receive said particular one of said receiving port addresses from said address resolution means for requesting connections through said ATM network connecting said sending ports to said receiving ports whereby packets are transferred from source stations to destination stations by cell transfers through said ATM network, local network management means for controlling which of said stations are included within said group of destination stations that receive the multicast destination station address.

Claim 11

For a communication system including a plurality of ports, including sending ports and receiving ports, where each port has a unique port address, where sending ports have sending port addresses and receiving ports have receiving port addresses, and including a plurality of stations where each station has, a unique station address distinguishing the station from other stations, a connection for an ATM network at one of said ports whereby source stations at the sending ports communicate with destination stations at the receiving ports, packet means for providing packets for transferring information where the information includes a destination station address for addressing one or a group of said destination stations, packet converter means connected to said packet means for converting between packets and cells for transfers between stations, an apparatus comprising: one or more ATM switches for connecting said sending ports to said receiving ports for communications through said one or more ATM switches to form the ATM network, address resolution means for determining a particular one of said receiving port addresses corresponding to said destination station address, said address resolution means including multicast means for multicasting said destination station address from a particular one of said source stations to a group of said destination stations, wherein said group of destination stations that receive the multicast destination station address constitutes a local network, connection management means connected to receive said particular one of said receiving port addresses from said address resolution means for requesting connections through said ATM network connecting said sending ports to said receiving ports whereby packets are transferred from source stations to destination stations by cell transfers through said ATM network, local network management means for controlling which of said stations are included within said group of destination stations that receive the multicast destination station address.

Claim 12

In the system of claim 9 wherein said local network management means includes a station table for storing station addresses for indicating which of said stations are included within the local network.

Claim 13

In the system of claim 10 wherein said local network management means includes, means for adding and deleting a station address to said station table for adding and deleting, respectively, a station to and from the local network.

Claim 14

In the system of claim 9 wherein each particular station of said group of said destination stations includes, means for communicating with said local network management means for communicating that said particular station is included in said local network.

Claim 15

In the system of claim 9 wherein said local network management means includes a port table for indicating ports for said group of destination stations that constitute the local network.

Claim 16

In the system of claim 13 wherein local network management means includes, means for adding and deleting a port address to said port table for indicating additions and deletions respectively, of said ports.

Claim 17

For a communication system including a plurality of ports, including sending ports and receiving ports, where each port has a unique port address, where sending ports have sending port addresses and receiving ports have receiving port addresses, and including a plurality of stations where each station has, a unique station address distinguishing the station from other stations, a connection for an ATM network at one of said ports whereby source stations at the sending ports communicate with destination stations at the receiving ports, packet means for providing packets for transferring information where the information includes a destination station address for addressing one or a group of said destination stations, packet converter means connected to said packet means for converting between packets and cells for transfers between stations, an apparatus comprising: one or more ATM switches for connecting said sending ports to said receiving ports for communications through said one or more ATM switches to form the ATM network, identification means for identifying a plurality of groups of stations, each group constituting a local network of the stations in the group, address resolution means for determining a particular one or more of said receiving port addresses corresponding to said destination station address, said address resolution means including multicast means for multicasting said destination station address from a particular one of said source stations to a group of stations constituting a local network including the source station identified by said identification means, wherein said multicast means includes, response means for providing said particular one or more of said receiving port addresses corresponding to said destination station address, reply means for transmitting said particular one or more of said receiving port addresses to a sending port through said ATM network, connection management means connected to receive said receiving port addresses from said address resolution means for requesting connections through said ATM network to connect said sending ports to said receiving ports whereby packets are transferred from source stations to destination stations by cell transfers through said ATM network.

Claim 18

For a communication system including a plurality of ports, including sending ports and receiving ports, where each port has a unique port address, where sending ports have sending port addresses and receiving ports have receiving port addresses, and including a plurality of stations where each station has, a unique station address distinguishing the station from other stations, a connection for an ATM network at one of said ports whereby source stations at the sending ports communicate with destination stations at the receiving ports, packet means for providing packets for transferring information where the information includes a destination station address for addressing one or a group of said destination stations, packet converter means connected to said packet means for converting between packets and cells for transfers between stations, an apparatus comprising: one or more ATM switches for connecting said sending ports to said receiving ports for communications through said one or more ATM switches to form the ATM network, identification means for identifying a plurality of groups of stations, each group constituting a local network of the stations in the group, address resolution means for determining a particular one or more of said receiving port addresses corresponding to said destination station address, said address resolution means including multicast means for multicasting said destination station address from a particular one of said source stations to a group of stations constituting a local network including the source station identified by said identification means, wherein said multicast means includes, response means for providing said particular one or more of said receiving port addresses corresponding to said destination station address, reply means for transmitting said particular one or more of said receiving port addresses to a sending port through said ATM network, connection management means connected to receive said receiving port addresses from said address resolution means for requesting connections through said ATM network to connect said sending ports to said receiving ports whereby packets are transferred from source stations to destination stations by cell transfers through said ATM network.

Claim 19

In the system of claim 15 wherein said networking apparatus includes means for connecting a sending port to many receiving ports.

Claim 20

In the system of claim 15 wherein said management means includes means for transferring configuration parameters between stations and said ATM network.

Claim 21

In the system of claim 15 wherein said management means includes means for transferring multicast configuration parameters between stations and said ATM network.

Claim 22

In the system of claim 15 wherein said management means includes means for transferring unicast configuration parameters between stations.

Claim 23

In the system of claim 15 wherein said said one or more ATM switches comprises a single ATM switch.

Claim 24

In the system of claim 15 wherein said destination station address corresponds to a particular destination station of said group of stations including the source station and wherein said reply means includes, means for establishing a port-to-port connection between said particular destination station at a receiving port and said particular one of said source stations at a sending port.

Claim 25

In the system of claim 15 wherein, in said multicast means, said response means provides one of said particular one or more of said receiving port addresses for a particular destination station having said destination station address, said reply means establishes a port-to-port connection between said particular destination station at a receiving port and said particular one of said source stations at a sending port, and said connection means includes means for transmitting cells between said particular one of said source stations and said particular destination station over said port-to-port connection.

Claim 26

In the system of claim 15 wherein said apparatus includes, local network management means for controlling which of said stations are included within each of said groups of stations constituting a local network.

Claim 27

In the system of claim 23 wherein said local network management means includes a port table for indicating ports for stations that are included within each of said groups of stations constituting a local network.

Claim 28

In the system of claim 24 wherein said local network management means includes, means for adding and deleting a port address to said port table.

Claim 29

In the system of claim 15 wherein said apparatus includes, local network management means for transmitting said one or more receiving port addresses corresponding to said destination station address for each of the stations in each of said groups of stations constituting a local network.

Claim 30

In the system of claim 26 wherein said local network management means includes station table means for storing station addresses for indicating which stations are included within each of said groups of stations constituting a local network.

Claim 31

In the system of claim 27 wherein said local network management means includes, means for adding and deleting station addresses to said station table means and thereby for indicating additions and deletions respectively, of stations to and from the groups of stations constituting a local network.

Claim 32

In the system of claim 28 wherein said local network management means includes, means for adding and deleting a station address to said station table means and thereby for indicating additions and deletions respectively, of one or more stations to and from a plurality of said groups of stations constituting a local network.

Claim 33

In the system of claim 29 wherein each station includes, means for communicating with said local network management means for communicating ones of said groups of stations constituting a local network with which the station is associated.

Claim 34

In the system of claim 29 wherein each station has a physical connection to a pert of said ATM network and wherein said means for adding and deleting operates independently of the physical connection of each station.

Claim 35

In the system of claim 27 wherein said station table means stores a particular one of said station addresses corresponding to a particular one of said stations to establish associations with a particular two or more of said groups of stations constituting a local network to indicate that said particular one of said stations is logically in each of said particular two or more of said groups of stations constituting a local network.

Claim 36

In the system of claim 32 wherein said particular one of said stations is a bridge station connecting between said particular two of said groups of stations constituting a local network.

Claim 37

In the system of claim 32 wherein said particular one of said stations is a router station connecting between said particular two of said groups of stations constituting a local network.