Ethernet-to-atm interworking that conserves vlan assignments

Abstract

Interworking of first and second networks ( 12, 14 ) is accomplished by an interworking facility ( 30 ) that serves to map the destination address in first frames received from the first network into second destinations addresses compatible with the second network. To conserve such mapping the assignments, the first network encapsulates information frames ( 32 ) received from one or more sites associated with a first customer into jumbo frames ( 34 ) that have a generic address associated with that customer. At the interworking facility, the individual frames are stripped from the jumbo frame and routed to corresponding destinations in the second network.

1 . A method for communicating information frames from at least one of a first plurality of sites associated with a customer to at least one of a second plurality of sites associated with the customer wherein said one first site is served by a first network and each second site is served by a second network, comprising: 
 receiving first information frames in a first network from said one first site and encapsulating the first information frames into a jumbo frame having a generic address of a first format that identifies said customer;    receiving at an interworking facility the jumbo frame and separating therefrom the first information frames, each first information frame having a first destination address of a first format specifying a corresponding one of said plurality of second sites to which each first information frame is destined, the first destination address being in said first format compatible with said first network, and made available by the interworking facility by resolving destinations available to said one first site through the second network;    forming, for each first information frame, a second information frame of a second format compatible with the second network; and    mapping the first destination address of each first information frame to a second destination address specifying in the second format to which the second information frame is destined.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each first information frame comprises an Ethernet frame.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the jumbo frame comprises an Ethernet frame.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each second information frame has an ATM format.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the generic address comprises a portion of a data field comprising part of the jumbo frame.  
   
   
       6 . A method for communicating information frames from at least one of a first plurality of sites associated with a customer to at least one of a second plurality of sites associated with the customer, wherein said one first site is served by an Ethernet network and each second site is served by a High Speed Packet network, comprising: 
 receiving Ethernet frames in a first network from said one first site and encapsulating the Ethernet frames into jumbo Ethernet frames having a generic address that identifies said customer;    receiving at an interworking facility one of the jumbo frames and separating therefrom the Ethernet frames, each having a first destination address of an Ethernet format specifying a corresponding one of plurality of second sites to which each Ethernet frame is destined, the first destination address being of said Ethernet format and made available by the interworking facility by resolving destinations available to said one first site through the second network;    forming, for each Ethernet frame, a second frame of a second format compatible with the second network, and    mapping the first destination address of each Ethernet frame to a second destination address specifying in the second format to which the second frame is destined.    
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the jumbo frame comprises an Ethernet frame.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein each second frame has an ATM format.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the generic address comprises a portion of a data field comprising part of the jumbo frame.  
   
   
       10 . A system for communicating information frames from at least one of a first plurality of sites associated with a customer to at least one of a second plurality of sites associated with the customer, wherein said one first site is served by an Ethernet network and each second site is served by a High Speed Packet network, comprising: 
 means for receiving Ethernet frames in a first network from said one first site and encapsulating the Ethernet frames into jumbo Ethernet frames having a generic address that identifies said customer;    means for receiving at an interworking facility one of the jumbo frames and separating therefrom the Ethernet frames, each having a first destination address of an Ethernet format specifying a corresponding one of plurality of second sites to which each Ethernet frame is destined, the first destination address being of said Ethernet format and made available by the interworking facility by resolving destinations available to said one first site through the second network;    means for forming, for each Ethernet frame, a second frame of a second format compatible with the second network, and    means for mapping the first destination address of each Ethernet frame to a second destination address specifying in the second format to which the second frame is destined.    
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the jumbo frame comprises an Ethernet frame.  
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein each second frame has an ATM format.  
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the generic address comprises a portion of a data field comprising part of the jumbo frame.