US 12,438,776 B2
Method and control program for automated configuration of a communication network comprising multiple virtual local area networks
Volker Gsänger, Kammerstein (DE); Wolfgang Schwering, Röttenbach (DE); Torsten Keidel, Erlangen (DE); and Andreas Rehm, Nuremberg (DE)
Assigned to Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Munich (DE)
Filed by Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Munich (DE)
Filed on Sep. 15, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/368,657.
Claims priority of application No. 22196186 (EP), filed on Sep. 16, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0097981 A1, Mar. 21, 2024
Int. Cl. G06F 15/177 (2006.01); H04L 12/46 (2006.01); H04L 41/08 (2022.01); H04L 41/0893 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 41/0886 (2013.01) [H04L 12/4641 (2013.01); H04L 41/0893 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for automated configuration of a communications network comprising a plurality of Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs), the method comprising:
defining a VLAN port operating mode, for each VLAN, depending on usage of a respective port by a respective VLAN, starting from communication terminals on ports of at least one of switches and routers along paths assigned to the respective VLAN;
defining VLAN segment boundaries utilizing first VLAN port configuration tags, inbound and outbound frames on the respective port being assigned to the same VLAN;
utilizing second VLAN port configuration tags to set limits for tracing paths assigned to the respective VLAN to define the VLAN port operating modes;
utilizing third VLAN port configuration tags to set limits for tracing the paths assigned to the respective VLAN only with respect to outbound frames to define the VLAN port operating modes;
controlling the tracing of the paths assigned to the respective VLAN and a configuration of the ports included in these paths, which is based on the definition of the VLAN port operating modes, utilizing the VLAN port configuration tags;
wherein the VLAN port operating modes each comprise at least a trunk mode and an untagged mode;
wherein frames comprising a VLAN identifier assigned to the respective VLAN are forwarded via a port if the port is configured for the respective VLAN in the trunk mode;
wherein inbound frames which do not include a VLAN identifier are forwarded via a port after inserting a VLAN identifier if the port is configured for the respective VLAN in untagged mode with respect to inbound frames;
wherein outbound frames which comprise a VLAN identifier assigned to the VLAN are forwarded via the port after removing the VLAN identifier if the port is configured for a particular VLAN in untagged mode with respect to outbound frames;
wherein first VLAN multicast configuration tags are utilized to define VLAN segment boundaries for transmission of multicast frames within a multicast domain comprising multiple VLANs;
wherein second VLAN multicast configuration tags are utilized to define communication devices forwarding multicast frames within the multicast domain;
wherein third VLAN multicast configuration tags are utilized to define communication terminals at least one of sending and receiving multicast frames within the respective multicast domain; and
wherein the VLAN multicast configuration tags are each utilized to define the VLAN port operating mode of the ports of the multicast frames that are assigned to the respective multicast domain for each multicast domain.