Abstract: A distributed address database management technique involves maintaining an address database by each of a number of interconnected modules. Each module maintains a number of locally owned address entries and a number of remotely owned address entries in the address database. Each module monitors the status of its locally owned address entries, maintains the locally owned address entries based upon the status, and provides the status to the other interconnected modules. Each module maintains the remotely owned address entries based upon the status received from the other interconnected modules. When a module adds a locally owned address entry to its address database, the module notifies the other interconnected modules, which in turn add a corresponding remotely owned address entry to their respective address databases.

Abstract: An address reporting technique for reporting address information in a distributed communication environment retrieves locally owned address information from each of a number of distributed address databases, sorts the address information according to a predetermined sorting scheme, and reports the sorted address information. Each address database is maintained by one of a plurality of interconnected modules. A reporting module reports address information by retrieving locally owned address information from its address database, retrieves locally owned address information from each of the other interconnected modules, sorts the address information according to a predetermined sorting scheme, and reports the sorted address information.