Abstract: A gateway device including an access interface to an external network, a trunked interface, and translation logic. The access interface is associated with multiple external source addresses. The trunked interface is interfaced with multiple different virtual local area networks (VLANs), where each VLAN is associated with a corresponding VLAN tag and at least one of potentially overlapping internal source addresses. The translation logic translates between each external source address and each unique combination of internal source address and VLAN tag. A method of network address translation including assigning one of first network addresses to each first device of a first network, dividing the first network into a plurality of VLANs, separating the first devices with the same first network address into different VLANs, and assigning first devices with the same first address to different second network addresses.

Abstract: A pre-boot multicast address management protocol for a computer network. This novel protocol includes an address conflict-clearing process that ensures that the same multicast address is not given to separate clients desiring different boot information. This address conflict-clearing technique alleviates any addressing conflicts and address duplication problems and enables multiple boot negotiation server processes to be present on the same network. The novel protocol of the present invention also provides a means for a boot negotiation server process and a multicast file server process to communicate in a bi-directional manner. Thus, the boot negotiation server process and the multicast file server process can communicate by sending messages and responses back and forth between each other. This communication feature allows the boot negotiation server process and the multicast file server process to reside on separate computers within the network.