Virtual LAN internetworking over ATM networks for mobile stations

One of the most attractive features of the virtual LAN (VLAN) is the capability to group users into broadcast domains, which are independent of their locations on the physical network. This paper deals with the VLAN services using ATM LAN emulation technology which operates on a client/server model. The focuses are on the issues of supporting transparent VLAN services and internetworking among VLANs for mobile stations. A mobile VLAN (MVLAN) architecture is proposed, perhaps for the first time, to efficiently maintain multiple VLAN broadcast domains over a single ATM network even when the VLANs contain mobile stations. The proposed solution (1) ensures that layer 2 frames between a mobile station and any station, either static or mobile, that belongs to the original registered VLAN can be exchanged transparently, (2) provides transparent communications between VLANs using the layer 2 bridging approach, and (3) handles excessive server-to-server traffic efficiently, including the broadcast/multicast frames. The proposed MVLAN architecture moves one step closer towards facilitating the mobility management in an ATM network while conforming to the emerging LAN emulation standard.