Wlan-enabled terminal, wlan-enabled base station and communication system comprising a wlan-enabled base station and a plurality of wlan-enabled terminals

Abstract

The present invention relates to a WLAN-enabled terminal (10, 30) and a WLAN-enabled base station (20), in each of which a software module is stored that implements the virtual extensible LAN protocol, also known as virtual extensible LAN (VXLAN protocol). In particular, the software module implements a VXLAN tunnel endpoint, or VTEP for short. In addition, the WLAN-enabled terminal (10, 30) has an Ethernet-based interface (30) to which at least one Ethernet-enabled terminal (40, 50) can be connected. Ethernet-enabled terminals (40, 50) can carry out layer-2 transparent communication via the WLAN-enabled terminal (10, 30) and the WLAN-enabled base station (20).

Description

[0001] WLAN-enabled terminal device, WLAN-enabled base station and communication system comprising a WLAN-enabled base station and several WLAN-enabled terminal devices

[0002] Description

[0003] The present invention relates to a WLAN-enabled terminal device and a WLAN base station, each designed for use in a wireless local area network (WLAN). The present invention further relates to a communications system, which in particular comprises such a WLAN-enabled base station, several such WLAN-enabled terminal devices, and several Ethernet-enabled terminal devices.

[0004] A wireless local area network (WLAN), or WLAN for short, is a local radio network that specifically implements a standard from the IEEE 802.11 family. Such a WLAN comprises several wireless stations and a central base station, which is referred to as an access point according to the IEEE 802.11 standard. The 802.11 WLAN architecture is well known to those skilled in the art.

[0005] In addition, wired local area networks, also called wired LAN (Local Area Network) for short, are known according to an Ethernet standard of the IEEE 802.3 family, via which Ethernet-capable end devices, such as PCs, can communicate.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a WLAN-capable terminal device, a WLAN-capable base station, and a communication system that enable Layer 2-transparent communication between Ethernet-capable terminal devices that are not connected to a common wired Ethernet-based local network, by integrating a WLAN network. A core idea of ​​the invention can be seen in the storage of a software module in each of the network participants of a WLAN, which are preferably several WLAN-capable terminal devices and a WLAN-capable base station, referred to as an access point for short. This software module implements the virtual extensible LAN protocol, also known as Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN protocol). In particular, the software module implements a VXLAN tunnel endpoint, referred to as VTEP for short.VXLAN was defined as a standard by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in RFC (Request For Comments) 7348. The International Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) has assigned UDP port 4789 to a VTEP. Furthermore, each of these WLAN-enabled terminal devices has an Ethernet-based interface to which at least one Ethernet-enabled terminal device can be connected. A further core concept of the invention can be seen in the fact that both the WLAN-enabled base station and each of the WLAN-enabled terminal devices, in which a software module is stored that implements the VXLAN protocol, each have only a single IP address, which is assigned to the WLAN interface of the WLAN-enabled base station and the respective WLAN-enabled terminal device.

[0007] The above-mentioned technical problem is solved, on the one hand, by the features of claim 1.

[0008] Accordingly, a WLAN-enabled device is provided, which can have the following features:

[0009] - a control device, which may be, for example, a microcontroller or microprocessor,

[0010] - a storage device in which software executable by the control device and implementing a VXLAN tunnel endpoint is stored,

[0011] - an Ethernet-based interface designed for Ethernet-based communication with an Ethernet-capable terminal device, which is assigned a unique MAC address,

[0012] - a wireless interface configured for wireless communication according to a WLAN standard, in particular with a WLAN-enabled base station of a WLAN network, wherein the Ethernet-based interface and the wireless interface can preferably each be assigned a unique MAC address, wherein only one IP address is assigned to the WLAN-enabled terminal, wherein the control device is configured to cause the WLAN-enabled terminal, upon execution of the stored software, a1) to check whether an Ethernet data frame arriving at the Ethernet-based interface is intended for the WLAN-enabled terminal, a2) if not, to transfer the Ethernet data frame to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint, wherein the VXLAN tunnel endpoint is configured to encapsulate the transferred Ethernet data frame in a VXLAN packet,and a3) to pass the VXLAN packet generated by the VXLAN tunnel endpoint to the wireless interface for transmission in a WLAN data frame, and / or b1) to pass a VXLAN packet received via the wireless interface in a WLAN data frame, in which an Ethernet data frame is encapsulated, to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint, wherein the VXLAN tunnel endpoint is configured to extract the Ethernet data frame encapsulated therein from the received VXLAN packet, and b2) to forward the Ethernet data frame via the Ethernet-based interface.

[0013] Advantageously, the Ethernet data frame after step a1) contains as header information a destination address, i.e. a destination MAC address for which the Ethernet data frame is intended. The destination MAC address can be, for example, a broadcast, a multicast, or a unicast address. In particular, the

[0014] The control device can be designed to first check, in step a2), based on the destination MAC address contained in the Ethernet data frame, whether the Ethernet data frame should be transmitted from the WLAN-enabled terminal device via the wireless interface. To do this, the control device can, for example, look in a configuration file stored in the WLAN-enabled terminal device, which contains the corresponding information for handling a received Ethernet data frame with a specific destination MAC address. If so, the control device can cause the WLAN-enabled terminal device to add header information to the VXLAN packet in step a2), which header information contains source address information that addresses the WLAN-enabled terminal device or its VXLAN tunnel endpoint, and destination address information that addresses a predetermined VXLAN tunnel endpoint, which is implemented in another WLAN-enabled terminal device or a WLAN-enabled base station, as the destination.The header information of the VXLAN packet depends, for example, on the header information of the Ethernet data frame, which contains, for example, the MAC address of the WLAN-enabled end device or the MAC address of an Ethernet-enabled end device that can be reached via another WLAN-enabled end device as the destination MAC address.

[0015] Thanks to steps a1) to a3), it is possible, for example, to send an Ethernet data frame arriving at the Ethernet-based interface from an Ethernet-enabled terminal connected to the Ethernet-based interface, via a WLAN network, to another Ethernet-enabled terminal connected to another WLAN-enabled terminal in which a VXLAN tunnel endpoint is implemented. This enables Ethernet-enabled terminals that are not connected via a common wired local network to communicate with each other.

[0016] Thanks to steps b1) and b2), it is possible to transmit an Ethernet data frame intended for a first Ethernet-capable terminal device connectable to the Ethernet-based interface of the WLAN-capable terminal device, including a WLAN network, to the first Ethernet-capable terminal device, even though the first Ethernet-capable terminal device contains a different MAC address than the wireless interface of the WLAN-capable terminal device. Such an Ethernet data frame preferably originates from another Ethernet-capable terminal device that is not connected to the first Ethernet-capable terminal device via a wired LAN.

[0017] A WLAN data frame is, in particular, a standardized data frame according to an IEEE 802.11 standard, while an Ethernet data frame is, in particular, a standardized data frame according to an IEEE 802.3 standard. Within the scope of the present invention, a WLAN data frame according to an IEEE 802.11 standard has three address fields: a field for a source MAC address, a field for a destination MAC address, and a field for the MAC address of an intermediate station.

[0018] According to an advantageous embodiment, the software stored in the memory device comprises a software module or program that implements a first software bridge, and a software module or program that implements a second software bridge. The first software bridge is preferably designed to transfer an Ethernet data frame arriving at the Ethernet-based interface to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint and to transfer an Ethernet data frame extracted from a VXLAN packet by the VXLAN tunnel endpoint to the Ethernet-based interface. The second software bridge is preferably designed to transfer a VXLAN packet received via the wireless interface in a WLAN data frame to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint for decapsulation and to transfer a VXLAN packet generated by the VXLAN tunnel endpoint to the wireless interface for transmission in a WLAN data frame.

[0019] The control device of the WLAN-enabled terminal can further be designed to

[0020] - by executing the stored software, to cause the WLAN-enabled terminal to check whether a received Ethernet data frame is intended for the WLAN-enabled terminal, and

[0021] - if so, to cause the WLAN-enabled device to process the Ethernet data frame, or

[0022] - if no, to cause the WLAN-enabled terminal device to pass the Ethernet data frame to the Ethernet-based interface or the Ethernet data frame to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint, which encapsulates the Ethernet data frame in a VXLAN packet, and then to pass the VXLAN packet to the wireless interface for transmission in a WLAN data frame.

[0023] According to one advantageous aspect, a payload field of an Ethernet data frame can contain, for example, an Address Resolution Protocol packet or an IP packet. The Address Resolution Protocol, defined in RFC 826, is responsible for determining the MAC address associated with a network node's IP address. At the end of a network configuration, each network node in a subnet knows the IP addresses and the corresponding MAC addresses of the other network nodes in the subnet. It should be noted that the payload data to be transmitted in an Ethernet data frame can also be transmitted using a communication protocol other than the IP protocol.

[0024] However, if IP-based communication is supported, the control device of the WLAN-enabled terminal can further be designed to cause the WLAN-enabled terminal, when executing the software, to check whether an IP packet or Address Resolution Protocol packet contained in a received Ethernet data frame is intended for the WLAN-enabled terminal, and if so, to cause the WLAN-enabled terminal to process the IP packet or the Address Resolution Protocol packet, or, if not, to cause the WLAN-enabled terminal to pass the Ethernet data frame to the Ethernet-based interface or the Ethernet data frame to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint, which encapsulates the Ethernet data frame in a VXLAN packet, and then to pass the VXLAN packet to the wireless interface for transmission in a WLAN data frame.

[0025] Preferably, a WLAN data frame is a data frame according to an IEEE 802.11 standard and an Ethernet data frame is a data frame according to an IEEE 802.3 standard.

[0026] The above-mentioned technical problem is also solved by the features of claim 5.

[0027] Accordingly, a WLAN-enabled base station is intended for use in a WLAN network, whereby the WLAN-enabled base station can have the following features in particular:

[0028] - a control device, which may be designed, for example, as a microcontroller or microprocessor,

[0029] - a storage device in which software executable by the control device and implementing a VXLAN tunnel endpoint is stored,

[0030] - a wireless interface configured for wireless communication according to a WLAN standard, wherein the wireless interface is assigned a unique MAC address, wherein the WLAN-enabled base station is assigned only one IP address, and wherein the control device is configured to cause the WLAN-enabled base station, upon execution of the stored software, to i) check whether a WLAN data frame received via the wireless interface contains a VXLAN packet intended for the base station, wherein the VXLAN packet contains an Ethernet data frame, and ii) if so, to extract the Ethernet data frame from the VXLAN packet.

[0031] Preferably, the WLAN-enabled base station further comprises an Ethernet-based interface which is designed for Ethernet-based communication with an Ethernet-enabled terminal device, wherein the control device is designed to cause the WLAN-enabled base station, upon execution of the stored software, to further check whether the extracted Ethernet data frame is to be forwarded via the Ethernet-based interface or the wireless interface, and, if the extracted Ethernet data frame is to be forwarded via the Ethernet-based interface, to pass the extracted Ethernet data frame to the Ethernet-based interface for forwarding, or, if the extracted Ethernet data frame is to be forwarded via the wireless interface, to convert the extracted Ethernet data frame into a WLAN data frame and pass the WLAN data frame to the wireless interface for transmission.

[0032] Advantageously, the control device of the WLAN-enabled base station can be designed to cause the WLAN-enabled base station, by executing the stored software, to encapsulate an Ethernet data frame received via the Ethernet-based interface into a VXLAN packet and to transmit the VXLAN packet in a WLAN data frame via the wireless interface.

[0033] In particular, the control device of the WLAN-enabled base station can be designed to cause the WLAN-enabled base station, by executing the stored software, to i) first check whether an Ethernet data frame received via the Ethernet-based interface is to be encapsulated in a VXLAN packet, ii) if so, to transfer the Ethernet data frame to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint, wherein the VXLAN tunnel endpoint is designed to encapsulate the transferred Ethernet data frame in a VXLAN packet, and iii) to transfer the VXLAN packet generated by the VXLAN tunnel endpoint to the wireless interface for transmission in a WLAN data frame.

[0034] According to an exemplary implementation, the software stored in the memory device may, for example, implement a first software bridge and a second software bridge, wherein the first software bridge is configured to transfer a VXLAN packet received via the wireless interface and intended for the WLAN-enabled base station to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint via at least one virtual Ethernet interface and the second software bridge, and to transfer an Ethernet data frame extracted by the VXLAN tunnel endpoint from a VXLAN packet to the Ethernet-based interface or the wireless interface.

[0035] The above-mentioned technical problem is also solved by the features of claim 10.

[0036] Accordingly, a communication system is provided which includes a WLAN network and a wired Ethernet-based system.

[0037] The wired Ethernet-based system comprises, in particular, at least a first, second, and third Ethernet-capable terminal, each with an Ethernet-based interface, wherein each of the Ethernet-capable terminals is assigned a unique MAC address. The WLAN network comprises at least a first and a second WLAN-capable terminal, which is described above, and the WLAN-capable base station described above. The first Ethernet-capable terminal is connected to the first WLAN-capable terminal, and the second Ethernet-capable terminal is connected to the second WLAN-capable terminal.

[0038] Optionally, the third Ethernet-capable device can be connected to the WLAN-capable base station.

[0039] According to an advantageous embodiment, the communication system can have at least one WLAN-capable terminal in which no VXLAN functionality, ie in particular no VXLAN tunnel endpoint, is implemented.

[0040] Advantageously, the communication system is designed to control communication between the first and second Ethernet-capable terminal devices connected to the first and second WLAN-capable terminal devices, respectively.

[0041] Advantageously, the communication system can be designed to control communication between the first, second and third Ethernet-capable terminal devices, which are respectively connected to the first and second WLAN-capable terminal devices and to the WLAN-capable base station, and the at least one WLAN-capable terminal device without VXLAN functionality.

[0042] According to an advantageous embodiment, the first Ethernet-capable terminal device can be configured to generate an Ethernet data frame intended for the second Ethernet-capable terminal device and to transmit the Ethernet data frame to the Ethernet-based interface of the first WLAN-capable terminal device, wherein the Ethernet data frame contains the MAC address of the second Ethernet-capable terminal device as the destination MAC address. The control device of the first WLAN-capable terminal device can be configured to cause the WLAN-capable terminal device, upon execution of the stored software, to transfer the Ethernet data frame to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint. The VXLAN tunnel endpoint is configured to encapsulate the transferred Ethernet data frame in a VXLAN packet containing header information that addresses the VXLAN tunnel endpoint implemented in the second WLAN-capable terminal device.and to transfer the VXLAN packet generated by the VXLAN tunnel endpoint to the wireless interface for transmission in a first WLAN data frame, wherein the first WLAN data frame contains the address of the WLAN-enabled terminal device and the address of the WLAN-enabled base station, wherein the control device of the WLAN-enabled base station is designed to cause the WLAN-enabled base station, upon execution of the stored software, to transmit the VXLAN packet contained in the received first WLAN data frame in a second WLAN data frame via the wireless interface, wherein the second WLAN data frame contains the address of the second WLAN-enabled terminal device, wherein the control device of the second WLAN-enabled terminal is designed to cause the second WLAN-enabled terminal, upon execution of the stored software, a) to transmit the VXLAN packet received via the wireless interface in the second WLAN data frame,in which the Ethernet data frame addressed for the Ethernet-capable terminal is encapsulated, to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint, wherein the VXLAN tunnel endpoint is configured to extract the Ethernet data frame encapsulated therein from the received VXLAN packet, and b) to transmit the extracted Ethernet data frame via the Ethernet-based interface to the second Ethernet-capable terminal.

[0043] According to an advantageous development, the first and / or second Ethernet-capable terminal device can be configured to generate an Ethernet data frame intended for the third Ethernet-capable terminal device and to transmit the Ethernet data frame to the corresponding Ethernet-based interface of the first or second WLAN-capable terminal device, respectively, wherein the Ethernet data frame contains the MAC address of the third Ethernet-capable terminal device as the destination MAC address. The control device of the first or second WLAN-capable terminal device is configured to cause the first or second WLAN-capable terminal device, respectively, to transfer the Ethernet data frame to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint upon execution of the stored software. The VXLAN tunnel endpoint is configured to encapsulate the transferred Ethernet data frame in a VXLAN packet containing header information that addresses the VXLAN tunnel endpoint implemented in the WLAN-capable base station.and to transfer the VXLAN packet generated by the VXLAN tunnel endpoint to the respective wireless interface for transmission in a WLAN data frame, wherein the WLAN data frame contains the address of the WLAN-capable base station. The control device of the WLAN-capable base station is configured to cause the WLAN-capable base station, upon execution of the stored software, to transfer the VXLAN packet received via the wireless interface in the WLAN data frame, in which the Ethernet data frame addressed to the third Ethernet-capable terminal is encapsulated, to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint. The VXLAN tunnel endpoint is configured to extract the Ethernet data frame encapsulated therein from the received VXLAN packet and to transmit the extracted Ethernet data frame via the Ethernet-based interface to the third Ethernet-capable terminal.

[0044] It should be noted that, in a manner known per se, a MAC (Media Access Control) address is a hardware or device address. Preferably, a unique MAC address is stored in the wireless interface of each of the WLAN-enabled terminal devices, in the wireless interface of the WLAN-enabled base station, in the Ethernet-based interface of each of the Ethernet-enabled terminal devices and, if present, in the Ethernet-based interface of the WLAN-enabled base station and at least one of the WLAN-enabled terminal devices.

[0045] The invention will be explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 shows a schematic block diagram of an exemplary WLAN-enabled terminal device.

[0046] Figure 2 shows a schematic block diagram of an exemplary WLAN-enabled base station,

[0047] Figure 3 shows an exemplary communication system with two WLAN-enabled terminals according to Figure 1 and the WLAN-enabled base station shown in Figure 2,

[0048] Figure 4 shows an example format of an Ethernet data frame and Figure 5 shows the format of an example VXLAN packet.

[0049] Figure 1 shows the schematic block diagram of an exemplary WLAN-enabled terminal 10, which can be a network participant of a WLAN 100 (Wireless Local Area Network). The WLAN-enabled terminal 10 has an Ethernet-based interface 11, preferably according to an IEEE 802.3 standard. The Ethernet-based interface 11 can be a hardware and / or software component. The Ethernet-based interface 11 can be designed as a network adapter having an Ethernet port to which, for example, a cable or a bus can be connected. The Ethernet port of the Ethernet-based interface 11 can be an RJ-45 port to which, for example, an 8-wire Ethernet cable can be connected. The WLAN-enabled terminal 10 can communicate with at least one Ethernet-enabled terminal, for example, the Ethernet-enabled terminal 40 shown in Figure 4, via the Ethernet-based interface 11.The Ethernet-based interface 11 can be assigned a unique MAC address in a manner known per se, but this is not required.

[0050] Furthermore, the WLAN-capable terminal device 10 has a wireless interface 13, which can preferably be implemented as a WLAN interface according to a standard of the IEEE 802.11 family. The WLAN interface 13 can also be designed as a network adapter. It should be noted that the WLAN-capable terminal device 10 has only a single IP address, which is assigned to the WLAN interface 13. The WLAN interface 13 is also assigned a unique MAC address. The WLAN interface 13 is preferably designed as a hardware and / or software component, which preferably implements Layer 1 and Layer 2 of the ISO / OSI reference model. It can be designed as a network adapter in a manner known per se.

[0051] Furthermore, the WLAN-capable terminal device 10 has a control device 14 and a memory device 15 in which software executable by the control device 14 is stored. The software contains, among other things, a software module or a program that implements a VXLAN tunnel endpoint. The abbreviation VXLAN stands for Virtual Extensible LAN, which is defined as a standard by the IETF in RFC 7348. The control device 14 and the memory device 15 can be components of a microcontroller 12, as shown by way of example in Figures 1 and 3. In this case, the control device 14 can be embodied as a microprocessor. However, the control device 14 and the memory device 15 can also be embodied as separate, electrically connected components, in which case the control device 14 could also be embodied as a microcontroller.The memory device 15 can also be arranged separately from the control device 12 and electrically connected to it. The software stored in the memory device 15 can contain further software modules and / or programs, such as a software module that implements a first software bridge, a further software module that implements a second software bridge, a software module that implements an IP stack or IP protocols, and a further software module that implements the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP protocol). Furthermore, firmware or an operating system can be stored in the memory device 15, which, when executed by the microprocessor 14, monitors and controls the WLAN-capable terminal 10. The Linux operating system can be stored as the operating system, whereby in this example the respective software modules or programs can be Linux-based components of the operating system.Communication rules can be stored in the memory device 15 of the WLAN-enabled terminal 10, which, for example, enable data frames received via the Ethernet-based interface 11 or via the WLAN interface 13 to directly reach the IP protocols of the WLAN-enabled terminal 10. The Ethernet-based interface 11 is designed to receive Ethernet data frames, in particular according to an 802.3 standard, for example, from the Ethernet-enabled terminal 40 and to transfer them to the control device 14 or the microcontroller 12 for further processing, or to receive data from the control device 14 for transmission to the Ethernet-enabled terminal 40.

[0052] Similarly, WLAN interface 13 can be configured to receive and transmit WLAN data frames, particularly according to an 802.11 standard. Furthermore, WLAN interface 13 is configured to feed a received WLAN data frame to microcontroller 12 for processing and / or handling and to receive data to be transmitted via the WLAN interface from microcontroller 12. It should be noted that the WLAN data frames used here preferably contain a header with three MAC addresses.

[0053] Advantageously, the control device 14 is designed to cause the WLAN-enabled terminal 10, by executing the software stored in the memory device 15, to a) check whether an Ethernet data frame arriving at the Ethernet-based interface 11, which comes, for example, from the Ethernet-enabled terminal 40, is intended for the WLAN-enabled terminal 10, a2) if not, to transfer the Ethernet data frame to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint 16, wherein the VXLAN tunnel endpoint 16 is designed to encapsulate the transferred Ethernet data frame in a VXLAN packet, and a3) to transfer the VXLAN packet generated by the VXLAN tunnel endpoint to the wireless interface 13 for transmission in a WLAN data frame, and / or b1) to transfer a VXLAN packet received via the wireless interface 13 in a WLAN data frame, in which an Ethernet data frame is encapsulated, to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint 16, whereby the VXLAN tunnel endpoint is designed toextract the Ethernet data frame encapsulated in the received VXLAN packet, and b2) forward the extracted Ethernet data frame via the Ethernet-based interface 11, for example, to the Ethernet-capable terminal device 40.

[0054] Advantageously, the Ethernet data frame after step a1) contains, as header information, a destination address, i.e., a destination MAC address for which the Ethernet data frame is intended. The destination MAC address can be, for example, a broadcast, a multicast, or a unicast address. A unicast MAC address can, for example, be assigned to another Ethernet-capable terminal, for example, the Ethernet-capable terminal 50 or 70 shown in Figure 3, or to another WLAN-capable terminal, for example, the WLAN-capable terminal 10, 30, or 60 shown in Figure 3, or to a WLAN-capable base station, for example, the WLAN base station 20 shown in Figure 3. In particular, the control device 14 can be configured to first check, in step a2), based on the destination MAC address contained in the Ethernet data frame, whether the Ethernet data frame should be transmitted from the WLAN-capable terminal 10 via the wireless interface 13.For this purpose, the control device 14 can, for example, consult a configuration file stored in the WLAN-enabled terminal 10, which contains the corresponding information for handling a received Ethernet data frame with a specific destination MAC address. If the control device 14 determines that the received Ethernet data frame is to be transmitted via the wireless interface 13, the control device 14 can cause the WLAN-enabled terminal 10 to add header information to the VXLAN packet. This header information contains source address information that addresses the WLAN-enabled terminal 10 or its VXLAN tunnel endpoint, and destination address information that addresses a predetermined VXLAN tunnel endpoint implemented in another WLAN-enabled terminal, for example, the WLAN-enabled terminal 30 or a WLAN-enabled base station, for example, the WLAN-enabled base station 20, as the destination.The header information of the VXLAN packet depends, for example, on the header information of the Ethernet data frame, which contains, for example, as the destination MAC address, the MAC address of the WLAN-enabled terminal device 30 or the MAC address of an Ethernet-enabled terminal device, for example the Ethernet-enabled terminal device 50, which can be reached via another WLAN-enabled terminal device, for example the WLAN-enabled terminal device 30.

[0055] It should be noted that the control device 14 can be configured, in particular, to detect, based on the destination MAC address contained in a received Ethernet data frame in step a1), whether the Ethernet data frame arriving at the Ethernet-based interface 11 is intended for the WLAN-enabled terminal 10 or not. The control device 14 is preferably further configured, in step a2), to insert header information into the VXLAN packet, depending on the destination MAC address contained in a received Ethernet data frame, which header information addresses the VXLAN tunnel endpoint implemented in another WLAN-enabled terminal, for example, the WLAN-enabled terminal 30 shown in Figure 3.

[0056] Reference is already made at this point to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 shows a known example format of an Ethernet data frame. The Ethernet data frame shown as an example preferably has four fields which, from left to right, contain a field for a destination MAC address, a field for a source MAC address, a field for data to be transmitted, and a field for a check value generated from the data to be transmitted. The abbreviation CRC stands for Cyclic Redundancy Check. The data field can contain, for example, an IP packet.

[0057] A well-known example format of a VXLAN packet is shown in Figure 5. The fields read from left to right contain:

[0058] - an outer Ethernet header containing a destination and a source MAC address,

[0059] - an outer IPv4 header containing a destination and a source IP address,

[0060] - an outer UDP header containing a destination port number, for example the default port number 4789, and a source port number,

[0061] - a VXLAN header, which can contain a VXLAN identification VNI that can be specified during configuration, and

[0062] - a payload. This field preferably contains an Ethernet data frame according to Figure 4. It should be noted in this context that the WLAN-enabled terminal device 10 or the WLAN interface 13 is designed to convert a VXLAN packet received from the control device 14 or the microcontroller 12 into a WLAN data frame, which is then transmitted via the WLAN interface 13. It should be noted that such a WLAN data frame contains, in addition to the source MAC address of the WLAN-enabled terminal device 10, among other things, a destination MAC address that is assigned to a WLAN-enabled base station, for example the one shown in Figure 2. Similarly, the WLAN interface 13 is designed to receive a WLAN data frame received externally and to transfer a VXLAN packet contained therein to the microcontroller 12 for further processing. A WLAN data frame differs from an Ethernet data frame only in the design of the header.

[0063] It should also be noted that a software bridge, for example the two software bridges stored in the memory device 15 as software modules, preferably extends a physical interface by a virtual interface and connects these interfaces like a bridge. In other words: The second software bridge is configured to connect the VXLAN tunnel endpoint 16, which is also a software module, to the WLAN interface 13, wherein the first software bridge is configured to transfer an Ethernet data frame arriving at the Ethernet-based interface 11 to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint 16 and to transfer an Ethernet data frame extracted by the VXLAN tunnel endpoint 16 from a VXLAN packet to the Ethernet-based interface 11.In particular, the second software bridge is configured to transfer a VXLAN packet received via the wireless interface 13 in a WLAN data frame to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint 16 and to transfer a VXLAN packet generated by the VXLAN tunnel endpoint 16 to the wireless interface 13 for transmission in a WLAN data frame. The order in which the two software bridges and the VXLAN tunnel endpoint are executed by the control device 14 is symbolically represented by their arrangement in the memory device 15 shown in Figure 1. It should already be noted at this point that the WLAN AN-capable terminal device 10 is preferably configured to exchange WLAN data frames with a WLAN-capable base station, which can also be referred to as an access point, via the WLAN interface 13. An exemplary WLAN-capable base station 20 is shown in Figure 2 and will be explained in more detail below.

[0064] It should also be mentioned that in an Ethernet data frame generated by an Ethernet-capable terminal device, for example the Ethernet-capable terminal device 40, an Address Resolution Protocol packet for implementing the ARP mechanism or data to be transmitted can be transmitted in an IP packet.

[0065] Accordingly, the control device 14 can be configured, by executing the software stored in the memory device 15, to cause the WLAN-enabled terminal 10 to check whether an IP packet or Address Resolution Protocol packet contained in a received Ethernet data frame is intended for the WLAN-enabled terminal 10. If so, the control device 14 causes the WLAN-enabled terminal 10 to process the IP packet or the Address Resolution Protocol packet. If not, the control device 14 causes the WLAN-enabled terminal 10 to transfer the Ethernet data frame to the Ethernet-based interface 11 or the Ethernet data frame to the VXL AN tunnel endpoint 16, which encapsulates the Ethernet data frame in a VXLAN packet, and then to transfer the VXLAN packet to the wireless interface 13 for transmission in a WLAN data frame.

[0066] Reference is now made to Figure 2, which shows an exemplary WLAN-capable base station 20, hereinafter referred to as an access point. The access point 20, like the WLAN-capable terminal device 10 shown in Figure 1, is intended in particular for use in the WLAN network 100.

[0067] The access point 20 has a control device 24 and a memory device 25, which can be components of a microcontroller 22, for example, as shown by way of example in Figures 2 and 3. The control device 24 can be designed as a microprocessor, for example. It is also conceivable for the control device 24 and the memory device 25 to be designed as separate, electrically connected components. In this case, the control device 24 can also be designed as a microcontroller. The memory device 25 stores software executable by the control device 24, which contains a software module or a program that implements a VXLAN tunnel endpoint 26. The abbreviation VXLAN stands for Virtual Extensible LAN, which is defined as a standard by the IETF in RFC 7348.The software stored in the memory device 25 can include a further software module implementing a first software bridge, a software module implementing a second software bridge, a third software module implementing at least one virtual Ethernet interface, a software module implementing the ARP protocol, and a further software module implementing IP protocols, i.e., an IP stack. Furthermore, firmware or an operating system, such as the Linux operating system, can be stored in the memory device 25. The aforementioned software modules can be components of the operating system.

[0068] In addition, rules are preferably stored in the storage device 25, which are called Ebtables rules when using a Linux operating system. These rules, for example, define permissible communication paths within the access point 20. These rules are intended, in particular, to prevent communication loops from occurring within the access point 20.

[0069] The access point 20 has a wireless interface 23, which can preferably be implemented as a WLAN interface according to a standard of the IEEE 802.11 family. It should be noted that the access point 20 has only a single IP address, which is assigned to the WLAN interface 23. The WLAN interface 23 is also assigned a unique MAC address. The WLAN interface 23 is preferably designed as a hardware and software component, which preferably implements Layer 1 and Layer 2 of the ISO / OSI reference model. It can be designed as a network adapter in a manner known per se. Furthermore, the WLAN-capable base station 20 can optionally have an Ethernet-based interface 21, preferably according to an IEEE 802.3 standard. The Ethernet-based interface 21 can be a hardware and / or software component, which preferably implements the Ethernet-based Layer 1 and Layer 2 of the ISO / OSI reference model.The Ethernet-based interface 21 can be designed as a network adapter having an Ethernet port to which a cable or bus can be connected. The Ethernet port of the Ethernet-based interface 21 can be an RJ-45 port to which, for example, an 8-wire Ethernet cable can be connected. The access point 20 can communicate with at least one Ethernet-capable terminal device, for example, the Ethernet-capable terminal device 70 shown in Figure 4, via the Ethernet-based interface 21. A unique MAC address can be assigned to the Ethernet-based interface 21 in a manner known per se.

[0070] The Ethernet-based interface 21 is designed to receive Ethernet data frames, in particular according to an 802.3 standard, for example, from the Ethernet-capable terminal 70 and to transfer them to the microcontroller 22 or the control device 24 for further processing, or to receive data from the microcontroller 22 or the control device 24 that are to be transmitted in an Ethernet data frame to the Ethernet-capable terminal 70. It should also be mentioned that in an Ethernet data frame generated by an Ethernet-capable terminal, for example the Ethernet-capable terminal 70, an Address Resolution Protocol packet for implementing the ARP mechanism or data to be transmitted in an IP packet can be transmitted.

[0071] The WLAN interface 23 can be configured to receive and transmit WLAN data frames, in particular according to an 802.11 standard. It should be noted that the WLAN data frames mentioned herein preferably contain a header with three MAC addresses each. Furthermore, the WLAN interface 23 is configured to supply a received WLAN data frame to the microcontroller 22 or the control device 24 for processing and / or handling, and to receive data to be transmitted via the WLAN interface 23 from the microcontroller 22 or the control device 24.

[0072] It should already be noted at this point that the access point 20 is preferably designed to exchange WLAN data frames, each containing a VXLAN packet, with a WLAN-enabled terminal device, for example the WLAN-enabled terminal devices 10, 30 shown in Figure 3, in each of which a VXLAN tunnel endpoint is implemented, via the WLAN interface 23.

[0073] The control device 24 of the access point 20 is preferably designed to cause the WLAN-enabled base station 20, ie the access point, to execute the software stored in the memory device 25, i) check whether a WLAN data frame received via the wireless interface 23 contains a VXLAN packet intended for the WLAN-enabled base station 20, wherein the VXLAN packet contains an Ethernet data frame, and ii) if so, to extract the Ethernet data frame from the VXLAN packet.

[0074] The check in step i) is advantageously performed based on the header information contained in the WLAN data frame. If the header information contains, for example, the MAC address of base station 20 as the destination address, the control device 24 recognizes that base station 20 or the VXLAN tunnel endpoint implemented in the base station is the destination of the VXLAN packet. However, if the header information contains, for example, the MAC address of WLAN-capable terminal device 10 or 30 as the destination address, the VXLAN packet is not unpacked but forwarded in a WLAN data frame to WLAN-capable terminal device 10 or 10.

[0075] In particular, the VXLAN packet after step i) may contain header information that addresses a predetermined VXLAN tunnel endpoint implemented in a WLAN-enabled terminal, for example, in WLAN-enabled terminal 10 and / or 30, as the destination. The header information of the VXLAN packet depends, for example, on the header information of the Ethernet data frame encapsulated in the VXLAN packet, which is intended for an Ethernet-enabled terminal, for example, Ethernet-enabled terminal 40 or 50, as the destination terminal.

[0076] If the access point 20 has the optional Ethernet-based interface 21, which is designed in particular for Ethernet-based communication with the Ethernet-capable terminal 70, the control device 24 can further be designed to cause the WLAN-capable base station 20, by executing the stored software, to further check whether the Ethernet data frame extracted in step ii) is to be forwarded via the Ethernet-based interface 21 or the wireless interface 23, and, if the extracted Ethernet data frame is to be forwarded via the Ethernet-based interface 21, to transfer the extracted Ethernet data frame to the Ethernet-based interface 21 for forwarding, or, if the extracted Ethernet data frame is to be forwarded via the wireless interface 23,convert the extracted Ethernet data frame into a WLAN data frame and pass the WLAN data frame to the wireless interface 23 for transmission.

[0077] The decision as to whether the extracted Ethernet data frame should be forwarded via the Ethernet-based interface 21 or the wireless interface 23 is made by the control device 24 depending on the destination MAC address contained in the extracted Ethernet data frame. This means that the extracted Ethernet data frame is forwarded via the Ethernet-based interface 21 if the Ethernet data frame is addressed to the Ethernet-capable terminal device 70, or that the extracted Ethernet data frame is converted and forwarded as a WLAN data frame via the WLAN interface 23 if the Ethernet data frame is addressed to the WLAN-capable terminal device 60.

[0078] According to an advantageous implementation, the control device 24 can be designed to cause the WLAN-enabled base station 20, by executing the stored software, to encapsulate an Ethernet data frame received via the Ethernet-based interface 21 into a VXLAN packet and to transmit the VXLAN packet in a WLAN data frame via the wireless interface 23.

[0079] For this purpose, the control device 24 can, for example, be designed to cause the WLAN-capable base station 20, by executing the stored software, to i) first check whether an Ethernet data frame received via the Ethernet-based interface 21 should be encapsulated in a VXLAN packet, ii) if so, to transfer the Ethernet data frame to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint, wherein the VXLAN tunnel endpoint is designed to encapsulate the transferred Ethernet data frame in a VXLAN packet, and iii) to transfer the VXLAN packet generated by the VXLAN tunnel endpoint to the wireless interface 23 for transmission in a WLAN data frame. In particular, the control device 24 can be designed to first check, in step i), based on the destination MAC address contained in the Ethernet data frame, whether the Ethernet data frame should be encapsulated in a VXLAN packet and transmitted via the wireless interface 23.For this purpose, the control device 24 can, for example, consult a configuration file or configuration table stored in the base station 20, which contains the corresponding information for handling a received Ethernet data frame with a specific destination MAC address. If the control device 24 has detected that the Ethernet data frame is to be encapsulated in a VXLAN packet and transmitted via the wireless interface 23, it can cause the base station 20, in step ii), to add header information to the VXLAN packet. This header information contains source address information that addresses the base station 20 or its VXLAN tunnel endpoint, and destination address information that addresses a predetermined VXLAN tunnel endpoint implemented in another WLAN-enabled terminal, for example, the WLAN-enabled terminal 10 or 20, as the destination.The header information of the VXLAN packet depends, for example, on the header information of the Ethernet data frame, which contains, for example, the MAC address of the WLAN-enabled terminal device 10 or 30 or the MAC address of an Ethernet-enabled terminal device that can be reached via the other WLAN-enabled terminal device, for example, the WLAN-enabled terminal device 10 or 30, as the destination MAC address.

[0080] Additionally, it should be noted that the first software bridge stored in the storage device 25 is preferably designed to decide whether a VXLAN packet received via the WLAN interface 23 should be passed to the WLAN interface 23 for forwarding in a WLAN data frame or to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint 26 for decapsulating the VXLAN packet, wherein the Ethernet data frame extracted from the VXLAN packet by the VXLAN tunnel endpoint 26 is then passed via the second software bridge and the at least one virtual Ethernet interface to the Ethernet-based interface 21. The second software bridge, which is stored in the storage device 25, is preferably designed to pass a received Ethernet data frame to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint 26, which encapsulates the Ethernet data frame in a VXLAN packet and passes the VXLAN packet to the WLAN interface 23 for forwarding in a WLAN data frame.The order in which the two software bridges, the at least one virtual Ethernet interface and the VXLAN tunnel endpoint are executed by the control device 24 is symbolically represented by their arrangement in the memory device 25 shown in Figure 2.

[0081] Figure 3 shows an exemplary communication system 1, which can be installed, for example, on a factory site comprising several buildings or halls. The communication system 1 can be used, for example, in an industrial automation environment. The exemplary communication system 1 preferably comprises a wired Ethernet-based system 90 and a wireless WLAN network 100. The wired Ethernet-based system 90 can comprise a plurality of Ethernet-capable terminal devices 40, 50, 70 that are not interconnected via a common wired Ethernet-based network. For the sake of clarity, only the three Ethernet-capable terminal devices 40, 50, 70 are shown. Each of the Ethernet-capable terminal devices 40, 50, and 70 can be connected to a separate wired Ethernet-capable network together with other Ethernet-capable terminal devices.This is indicated by way of example in Figure 3 by lines 80, 81, and 82. Each of the Ethernet-capable terminal devices 40, 50, and 70 can, for example, have a control device 42, 52, or 72, a memory device 43, 53, 73, and an Ethernet-based interface 41, 51, or 71. According to an exemplary implementation, the Ethernet-capable terminal devices 40, 50, and 70 are each configured to support IP-based communication. Accordingly, an IP stack, also called an IP stack, for IP communication is preferably stored in each memory device of the Ethernet-capable terminal devices 40, 50, and 70. According to an exemplary implementation, an ARP module is stored in each of the memory devices 43, 53 and 73, which implements an address resolution protocol with which each of the Ethernet-capable terminal devices 40, 50 and 70 can find out the MAC address belonging to an IP address of each participating network participant.ARP stands for Address Resolution Protocol, which is generally known. Furthermore, according to the exemplary implementation, each of the Ethernet-capable terminal devices 40, 50, and 70 is designed to pack data to be transmitted into an IP packet and to transmit this in an Ethernet-based data frame in a manner known per se via the respective Ethernet-based interface. It should be noted, however, that the Ethernet-capable terminal devices 40, 50, and 70 do not necessarily have to support IP-based communication. In the exemplary implementation, each of the Ethernet-capable terminal devices 40, 50, and 70 has a unique MAC address and a unique IP address. Furthermore, firmware or an operating system that controls and monitors the corresponding Ethernet-capable terminal device is expediently stored in the memory devices 43, 53, and 73.

[0082] The WLAN network 100 is preferably implemented according to a standard of the IEEE 802.11 family. According to the exemplary communication system 1, the WLAN network 100 includes the WLAN-capable terminal 10 shown in Figure 1 and another WLAN-capable terminal 30, which can be substantially identical, or at least similar, to the WLAN-capable terminal 10. Accordingly, the WLAN-capable terminal 30 has an Ethernet-based interface 31, a WLAN interface 30, a control device 34, and a memory device 35, which are, for example, components of a microcontroller 32. To avoid repetition, with regard to the function and further implementations of the WLAN-capable terminal 30, reference is made to the above explanations of the WLAN-capable terminal 10 shown in Figure 1. Accordingly, the WLAN-capable terminal 30 also has only one IP address, which is uniquely assigned to the WLAN interface 33.In a manner known per se, the WLAN interface 33 and the Ethernet-based interface 31 are each assigned a unique MAC address.

[0083] The WLAN network 100 also includes the WLAN-capable base station 20 shown in Figure 2, as well as another WLAN-capable terminal device 60, which, however, does not have VXLAN functionality, i.e., does not implement a VXLAN tunnel endpoint. The WLAN-capable terminal device 60 can, for example, be a conventional smartphone, a PC, a tablet, or the like, which are configured for conventional communication according to a WLAN standard, in particular from the 802.11 family.

[0084] As can be seen further in Figure 3, the Ethernet-capable terminal 40 can be connected to the Ethernet-based interface 11 of the WLAN-capable terminal 10 via line 80, while the Ethernet-capable terminal 50 can be connected to the Ethernet-based interface 31 of the WLAN-capable terminal 30 via line 81. The Ethernet-capable terminal 70 can be connected to the Ethernet-based interface 21 of the WLAN-capable base station 20 via line 82. It should be noted at this point that all WLAN-based communication in the WLAN network 100 can take place in a conventional manner via the access point 20. This is symbolized in Figure 3 by a dashed line leading from the WL AN interface 13 and the WLAN interface 33 to the WLAN interface 23 of the access point 20.

[0085] As already mentioned at the beginning, the WLAN-enabled end devices 10 and 30 as well as the access point 20 each have a unique MAC address, which is assigned to the WLAN interfaces 13, 33, and 23, respectively. Furthermore, as already mentioned, the WLAN-enabled end devices 10 and 30 as well as the access point 20 are each assigned only a single IP address, via which the WLAN-enabled end devices 10 and 30 and also the access point 20 can be reached from both the WLAN network 100 and the Ethernet-based network 90.

[0086] The exemplary communication system 1 and thus the associated WLAN-enabled terminal devices 10 and 30, the access point 20, the WLAN-enabled terminal device 60, and the Ethernet-enabled terminal devices 40, 50, and 70 are each configured to enable communication with each other. In particular, thanks to the implemented VXLAN functionality, the WLAN-enabled terminal devices 10 and 30 as well as the access point 20 ensure Layer 2 transparent communication between all network participants of the WLAN network 100 and the Ethernet-enabled terminal devices 40, 50, and 70 of the wired Ethernet-based system 90.

[0087] It should also be noted that the WLAN network 100 and the wired Ethernet-based system 90 together can form an IP-based subnetwork, which is set up in a configuration phase. For the exemplary communication system 1, this means that all Ethernet-capable terminal devices 40, 50, and 70, all WLAN-capable terminal devices 10, 30, and 60, and the WLAN-capable base station 20 each have a unique IP address, which can, for example, look like this: 172.16.140.X. Here, the first three bytes "172.16.140" of each IP address designate the subnetwork in a conventional manner, with only the last byte being different, thus uniquely addressing the WLAN-capable terminal devices and Ethernet-capable terminal devices, as well as the WLAN-capable base station 20, within the IP-based subnetwork.Furthermore, it is assumed that, in a manner known per se, a VXLAN identifier VNI is stored in each of the WLAN-enabled terminal devices 10 and 30 and in the access point 20, which is used by the respective VXLAN tunnel endpoints implemented in the WLAN-enabled terminal devices 10 and 30 and in the access point 20 when generating VXLAN packets.

[0088] In brief, the WLAN-enabled base station 20 is preferably designed to 1. enable data communication, for example, between the WLAN-enabled terminal 60, in which no VXLAN tunnel endpoint is implemented, and the Ethernet-enabled terminal 70 connectable to the Ethernet-based interface 21, bypassing the VXLAN tunnel endpoint 26, by transmitting data untunneled between the WLAN interface 23 and the Ethernet-based interface 21, preferably via the first software bridge, according to the exemplary implementation,

[0089] 2. to enable data communication between the Ethernet-capable terminal devices 40 and 50, which are each only accessible via the WLAN-capable terminal device 10 having a VXLAN tunnel endpoint or the WLAN-capable terminal device 30 having a VXLAN tunnel endpoint, by only forwarding the received VXL AN packets, in which the data to be transmitted is packed, via the WLAN interface 23, and

[0090] 3. to enable data communication between the Ethernet-capable terminal device 40 or 50, which can each only be reached via the WLAN-capable terminal device 10 having a VXLAN tunnel endpoint or the WLAN-capable terminal device 30 having a VXLAN tunnel endpoint, and the WLAN-capable terminal device 60 or the Ethernet-capable terminal device 70 connected to the Ethernet-based interface 21, by passing VXLAN packets received at the WLAN interface 23, which are intended for the WLAN-capable terminal device 60 or the Ethernet-capable terminal device 70, to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint 26 for extracting the data from the VXLAN packets, or by passing them on from the WLAN-capable terminal device 60 orto pass the data received from the Ethernet-capable terminal 70 and intended for the Ethernet-capable terminal 40 or 50 to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint 26, which packages the data into corresponding VXLAN packets addressed to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint of the WLAN-capable terminal 10 or to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint of the WLAN-capable terminal 30.

[0091] It should also be noted that the exemplary communication system 1 can be statically configured before initial commissioning. This means that the Ethernet-capable terminal devices 40, 50, and 70, the WLAN-capable terminal devices 10, 30, and 60, and the access point 20 know the IP address and the corresponding MAC address of each participating network participant. In other words, a table or configuration file is stored in each Ethernet-capable terminal device 40, 50, and 70, in each WLAN-capable terminal device 10, 30, and 60, and in the access point 20, which, in particular, contains an assignment of the IP address to the respective MAC address of each network participant. In addition, the WLAN-enabled end devices 10 and 30 as well as the access point 20 contain information about which Ethernet-enabled end devices can be reached via the Ethernet-based interface 11, 31 or 21 and / or the respective WLAN interface 13, 33, 23.This information can also be contained in the respective configuration file.

[0092] Alternatively, the Ethernet-capable terminals 40, 50, and 70, the WLAN-capable terminals 10, 30, and 60, and optionally also the WLAN-capable base station 20 can execute the known ARP protocol, whereby the communication system 1—that is, the Ethernet-capable terminals 40, 50, and 70, the WLAN-capable terminals 10, 30, and 60, and the access point 20—learn which IP address and MAC address the respective other network participants possess. The ARP method is well known to those skilled in the art.

[0093] By way of example only, it is explained below how the Ethernet-capable terminal device 50, which only knows the IP address of the Ethernet-capable terminal device 70 and wishes to communicate with the terminal device 70, can obtain the MAC address of the Ethernet-capable terminal device 70 using the ARP protocol.

[0094] To this end, the control unit 52 of the Ethernet-capable terminal 50 first calls the software module stored in the memory device 53, which implements the ARP protocol. Upon execution of the software module, the control unit 52 causes the Ethernet-capable terminal 50 to generate a so-called ARP request packet, which contains the IP address of the Ethernet-capable terminal 70 and a request to send the associated MAC address back to the Ethernet-capable terminal 50. Since the Ethernet-capable terminal 50 does not know where the Ethernet-capable destination terminal 70 is located, a so-called broadcast is started, in which the ARP packet generated by the Ethernet-capable terminal is sent to all network participants of the communication system 1.

[0095] The control device 52 can be designed to cause the Ethernet-capable terminal 50, by executing the stored software, to generate an Ethernet data frame according to Figure 4, which contains in the header, as the destination MAC address, a broadcast address, which, for example, has been communicated in advance to all network participants of the communication system 1 together with unicast and / or multicast addresses, and the source MAC address of the Ethernet-capable terminal 50. The ARP packet is inserted in the data field, while the check field contains a corresponding checksum formed over the data, which, however, is not relevant to the invention. The Ethernet-capable terminal 50 transmits this Ethernet data frame to the Ethernet-based interface 31 of the WLAN-capable terminal 30. The Ethernet data frame is forwarded by the Ethernet-based interface 31 to the microcontroller 32 orpassed to the control device 34, which is preferably designed to check whether the ARP packet contained in the Ethernet data frame is intended for the WLAN-capable terminal 30 or needs to be forwarded. In the present case, the control device 34 recognizes that the ARP packet is to be forwarded. Accordingly, the control device 34 is advantageously designed, by executing the software stored in the memory device 35, to feed the Ethernet data frame supplied by the Ethernet-based interface 31 via the first software bridge to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint, which encapsulates the Ethernet data frame in a VXLAN packet. In a manner known per se, the format of the VXLAN packet has the format shown in Figure 5. Accordingly, the control device 34 generates a header which, read from right to left, contains the following information:

[0096] The predetermined VXLAN identifier VNI, an outer UDP header containing, for example, the predefined destination port 4789 and the source port 40298, an outer IPv4 header containing, as the destination IP address, a multicast address previously defined during the configuration phase and, as the source IP address, the IP address of the WLAN-enabled terminal device 30, and an outer Ethernet header containing, as the destination MAC address, a previously defined multicast address and, as the source MAC address, the MAC address of the WLAN-enabled terminal device 30. The control device 34 then causes the WLAN-enabled terminal device 30 to feed the VXLAN packet to the WLAN interface 33, for example, via the second software bridge, and to transmit the VXLAN packet in a WLAN data frame via the WLAN interface 33. The WLAN header contains the MAC address of access point 20 as the destination MAC address and the MAC address of the WLAN-enabled device 30 as the source MAC address.The WLAN data frame is received by the WLAN-enabled interface 23 of the access point 20 and transferred to the microcontroller 22. The control device 24 is preferably designed to read the destination MAC address from the Ethernet data frame contained in the VXLAN packet. Since the destination MAC address is a multicast address, the control device 24, by executing the software stored in the memory device 25, causes the Ethernet frame containing the ARP packet to be decapsulated from the VXLAN packet contained in the received WLAN data frame and transmitted via the Ethernet-enabled interface 21 to the Ethernet-enabled terminal device 70. At the same time, the VXLAN packet contained in the received WLAN data frame, which contains a multicast IP address as the destination IP address, is transferred via the WLAN interface 23, among other things, into a first WLAN data frame, which now also contains a predetermined multicast address as the destination address.to WLAN end devices 10 and 60. The decapsulated ARP packet is also transmitted via WLAN interface 23 in a second WLAN data frame, which now also contains a predetermined broadcast address as the destination address. In this way, the VXLAN packet containing the ARP packet and the non-tunneled ARP packet reach the WLAN-capable end devices 10 and 60 via WLAN interfaces 13 and 61.

[0097] The control devices 12 and 62 can each be configured to check, by executing the software stored in the memory device 15 or 63, whether the non-tunneled ARP packet received in the second WLAN data frame is intended for the respective WLAN terminal device 10 or 60. Since the ARP packet is not intended for the WLAN-capable terminal devices 10 and 60, the control devices 15 and 63 discard the received ARP packet. The control device 12 can further be configured to transfer the VXLAN packet received via the WLAN interface 13 in the first WLAN data frame to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint 16, which extracts the Ethernet data frame contained therein and transmits it via the Ethernet-based interface 11 to the Ethernet-capable terminal device 40. The Ethernet-capable terminal device 40 is designed to read the ARP packet contained in the respective Ethernet data frame and to check whether the ARP packet is intended for the Ethernet-capable terminal device 40.In the present case, the ARP packet is not intended for the Ethernet-capable terminal 40. Similarly, the control device 72 of the Ethernet-capable terminal 70 is able to read and evaluate the ARP packet contained in the Ethernet data frame received via the Ethernet-based interface 71. The control device 72 now recognizes that the ARP packet contains the IP address of the Ethernet-capable terminal 70 and a request to transmit the associated MAC address to the Ethernet-capable terminal 50. Accordingly, the control device 72 causes the Ethernet-capable terminal 70 to generate an ARP response packet containing both the IP address and MAC address of the Ethernet-capable terminal 70. The ARP response packet is then transmitted in an Ethernet data frame via the Ethernet-based interface 71 to the Ethernet-based interface 21 of the access point 20.It should also be noted that the header of the Ethernet data frame contains the MAC address of the Ethernet-capable terminal device 50 as the destination MAC address and the MAC address of the Ethernet-capable terminal device 70 as the source MAC address. In response to the destination MAC address contained in the Ethernet data frame, the control device 24 passes the Ethernet data frame to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint, which encapsulates the Ethernet data frame containing the ARP response packet in a VXLAN packet. As already mentioned above, rules can be stored in the memory device 25 that ensure that the generated VXLAN packet is only passed to the WLAN interface 23, with the VXLAN packet subsequently being transmitted in a WLAN data frame. The header of the VXLAN packet contains, for example, the following information:

[0098] The predetermined VXL AN identifier, an outer UDP (User Datagram Protocol) header with a destination port of 4789 and a source port of 60108, an outer IPv4 header with the IP address of the access point 20 as the source IP address and the IP address of the WLAN AN-capable terminal device 30 as the destination IP address, and an outer Ethernet header with the MAC address of the WLAN AN-capable terminal device 30 as the destination MAC address and the MAC address of the access point 20 as the source MAC address. The WLAN data frame contains a header with the MAC address of the WLAN interface 33 of the WLAN-capable terminal device 30 as the destination MAC address and the MAC address of the access point 20 as the source MAC address. The WLAN data frame is received by the WLAN interface 33 and transferred to the microcontroller 32 or the control device 34.The control device 34 is configured, by executing the stored software, to transfer the VXLAN packet contained in the WLAN data frame to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint, which extracts the Ethernet data frame from the VXLAN packet and transmits it to the Ethernet-capable terminal 50 via the Ethernet-based interface 31. The control device 52 of the Ethernet-capable terminal 50 is configured to read and evaluate the ARP response packet contained in the Ethernet data frame. The control device 52 is preferably configured, in response to the data contained in the ARP response packet, to cause the Ethernet-capable terminal 50 to generate, in a manner known per se, an ARP table in which the IP address and MAC address of the Ethernet-capable terminal 70 are stored, for example, in the memory device 53.Similarly, each network terminal of the exemplary communication system 1 can create a complete ARP table of all network participants.

[0099] Let's return to access point 20. According to an advantageous implementation, an Ethernet data frame received via the Ethernet-based interface 21 from the Ethernet-capable terminal device 70 can be transferred to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint via the virtual Ethernet interface and the second software bridge under the control of the control device 24. The rules stored in the storage device 25 ensure, for example, that the VXLAN packet generated by the VXLAN tunnel endpoint is not retransmitted to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint by the first software bridge via the virtual Ethernet interface. Further exemplary communication sequences are described in detail below.

[0100] First, it should be noted that if the WLAN-enabled terminals 10, 30, and 60 wish to communicate with each other, this can be done according to a known WLAN communication protocol according to a standard of the IEEE 802.11 family. In other words: If the WLAN-enabled terminal 60 wishes to transmit data to the WLAN-enabled terminal 30, this data is transmitted in a conventional manner in a WLAN data frame to the WLAN interface 23 of the access point 20, which then forwards the received data in a WLAN data frame to the WLAN-enabled terminal 30.

[0101] A further exemplary data communication between the WLAN-enabled terminal 60 acting as the source terminal and the Ethernet-enabled terminal 50 acting as the destination terminal will now be described.

[0102] According to the exemplary implementation, the control device 62 is designed to cause the WLAN-enabled terminal 60 to insert data to be transmitted into an IP packet, which contains the IP address of the WLAN-enabled terminal 60 as the source IP address and the IP address of the Ethernet-enabled terminal 50 as the destination IP address. The IP packet is then transmitted in a WLAN data frame via the WLAN interface 61. The header of the WLAN data frame contains three addresses: the MAC address of the WLAN-enabled terminal 60 as the source MAC address, the MAC address of the WLAN interface 23 of the access point 20 as the destination MAC address, and furthermore the MAC address of the Ethernet-enabled terminal 50 as the actual destination.

[0103] The control device 24 of the access point 20 is configured to evaluate the MAC addresses of the received WLAN data frame in order to determine for whom the IP packet is intended. In the present case, the control device 24 recognizes that the IP packet is intended for the Ethernet-capable terminal device 50. Based on the system configuration, the control device 24 knows that the Ethernet-capable terminal device 50 can only be reached via the WLAN-capable terminal device 30. The control device 24 of the access point 20 is configured, by executing the software stored in the memory device 25, to forward the IP packet contained in the WLAN data frame via the first software bridge and via the virtual Ethernet interface and the second software bridge to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint, which encapsulates the IP packet in a VXLAN packet. The resulting VXLAN packet contains headers that contain, for example, the following information:

[0104] The predetermined VXL AN identifier contained in a VXLAN header, an outer UDP header with the destination port number 4789 and a source port number, an outer IPv4 header with the IP address of the access point 20 as the source IP address and with the IP address of the WLAN-enabled terminal 30 as the destination IP address, and an outer Ethernet header with the MAC address of the access point 20 as the source MAC address and the MAC address of the WLAN-enabled terminal 30 as the destination MAC address. The control device 24 is further configured to transmit the VXLAN packet in a WLAN data frame via the WLAN interface 23, which can be received at the WLAN interface 33 of the WLAN-enabled terminal 30. For example, the header of the WLAN data frame contains the MAC address of access point 20 as the source MAC address and the MAC address of WLAN interface 33 as the destination MAC address.The control device 34 of the WLAN-enabled terminal 30 is designed, for example, to transfer the VXLAN packet received via the WLAN interface 33 via the software module that implements the second software bridge, while executing the software stored in the memory device 35, to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint. The VXLAN tunnel endpoint decapsulates the Ethernet data frame contained in the VXLAN packet with the IP packet transmitted therein and transfers the Ethernet data frame to the software module that implements the first software bridge. In particular, the control device 34 is designed to read and evaluate the destination MAC address contained in the Ethernet data frame while executing the software stored in the memory device 35, in order to recognize in the present example that the Ethernet data frame is intended for the Ethernet-enabled terminal 50.Accordingly, the control device 34 causes the WLAN-enabled terminal 30 to forward the Ethernet data frame via the Ethernet-based interface 31 to the Ethernet-enabled terminal 50. The Ethernet-enabled terminal 50 is configured to receive the Ethernet data frame received via the Ethernet-based interface 51 in a manner known per se, to extract the IP packet, and to process the data contained in the IP packet depending on the application program.

[0105] A further exemplary data communication between the Ethernet-capable terminal 40 acting as the source terminal and the WLAN-capable terminal 60 acting as the destination terminal will now be described.

[0106] According to an exemplary implementation, the control device 41 of the Ethernet-capable terminal 40 is designed to insert data to be transmitted into an IP packet. The IP header of the IP packet contains the IP address of the WLAN-capable terminal 60 as the destination IP address and the IP address of the Ethernet-capable terminal 40 as the source IP address. The IP packet is then inserted into an Ethernet data frame, the header of which contains the MAC address of the WLAN-capable terminal 60 as the destination MAC address and the MAC address of the Ethernet-capable terminal 40 as the source MAC address. The control device 42 is designed to transmit the Ethernet data frame via the Ethernet-based interface 41 to the Ethernet-based interface 11 of the WLAN-capable terminal 10.The Ethernet-based interface 11 transfers the Ethernet data frame to the control device 14, which, by executing the software stored in the memory device 15, first causes the WLAN-capable terminal 10 to check for whom the received Ethernet data frame or the IP packet contained therein is intended. The control device 14 recognizes, in particular based on the destination MAC address contained in the Ethernet data frame, that the Ethernet data frame or the IP packet contained therein is intended for the WLAN-capable terminal 60. In response to this, the control device 14 executes the stored software module that implements the VXLAN tunnel endpoint. The VXLAN tunnel endpoint ensures that the Ethernet data frame is encapsulated in a VXLAN packet, which is then transmitted in a WLAN data frame via the WLAN interface 13 so that it can be received by the WLAN AN interface 23 of the access point 20.The headers of the VXLAN packet contain, for example, the following information: The well-known VXLAN identifier VNI contained in the VXLAN header, an outer UDP header with a corresponding destination port 4789 and a corresponding source port, an outer IPv4 header with the IP address of the WLAN-enabled end device 10 as the source IP address and the IP address of the WLAN-enabled base station 20 as the destination IP address and an outer Ethernet header with the MAC address of the WLAN-enabled end device 10 as the source MAC address and the MAC address of the WLAN-enabled base station 20, via which the WLAN-enabled end device 60 can be reached as the actual destination, as the destination MAC address.

[0107] The header of the WLAN data frame to be transmitted contains the MAC address of the WLAN-enabled terminal device 10 as the source MAC address and the MAC address of the access point 20 as the destination MAC address.

[0108] The WLAN data frame transmitted via WLAN interface 13 is received by WLAN interface 23 and passed to control device 24. Control device 24 executes the stored software and causes access point 20 to pass the VXLAN packet contained in the received WLAN data frame to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint and to extract the Ethernet data frame from the VXLAN packet. Based on the destination MAC address contained in the extracted Ethernet data frame, control device 24 recognizes that the Ethernet data frame is intended for WLAN-enabled terminal device 60. In response, control device 24 causes access point 20 to convert the extracted Ethernet data frame into a WLAN data frame containing the MAC address of WLAN-enabled terminal device 60 as the destination MAC address.The WLAN data frame is then transmitted via the WLAN interface 23 and received by the WLAN interface 61 of the WLAN-enabled terminal 60 and passed to the control device 62 for further processing. Thanks to this measure, the WLAN-enabled terminal 60, which does not have VXLAN functionality, can communicate with the Ethernet-enabled terminal 40. Similarly, for example, the Ethernet-enabled terminal 40 can communicate with the Ethernet-enabled terminal 70. In this case, however, the control device 24 recognizes that the Ethernet data frame extracted from a VXLAN packet contained in a WLAN data frame coming from the WLAN-enabled terminal 10 is intended for the Ethernet-enabled terminal 70. Accordingly, the control device 24 ensures that the Ethernet data frame extracted from the VXLAN packet is forwarded to the Ethernet-enabled terminal 70 via the Ethernet-based interface 21.

[0109] Another exemplary data communication between the Ethernet-capable terminal 40 as source and the Ethernet-capable terminal 50 as destination will now be described.

[0110] According to an exemplary implementation, the control device 41 of the Ethernet-capable terminal 40 is designed to insert data to be transmitted into an IP packet. The IP header of the IP packet contains the IP address of the Ethernet-capable terminal 50 as the destination IP address and the IP address of the Ethernet-capable terminal 40 as the source IP address. The IP packet is then inserted into an Ethernet data frame, the header of which contains the MAC address of the Ethernet-capable terminal 50 as the destination MAC address and the MAC address of the Ethernet-capable terminal 40 as the source MAC address. The control device 42 is designed to transmit the Ethernet data frame via the Ethernet-based interface 41 to the Ethernet-based interface 11 of the WLAN-capable terminal 10.The Ethernet-based interface 11 transfers the Ethernet data frame to the control device 14, which, by executing the software stored in the memory device 15, first causes the WLAN-capable terminal 10 to check for whom the received Ethernet data frame or the IP packet contained therein is intended. The control device 14 recognizes, in particular based on the destination MAC address contained in the Ethernet data frame, that the Ethernet data frame or the IP packet contained therein is intended for the Ethernet-capable terminal 50. In response to this, the control device 14 executes the stored software module that implements the VXLAN tunnel endpoint. The VXLAN tunnel endpoint ensures that the Ethernet data frame is encapsulated in a VXLAN packet, which is then transmitted in a WLAN data frame via the WLAN interface 13 so that it can be received by the WLAN interface 23 of the access point 20.The headers of the VXLAN packet contain, for example, the following information: The well-known VXLAN identifier VNI contained in the VXLAN header, an outer UDP header with a corresponding destination port 4789 and a corresponding source port, an outer IPv4 header with the IP address of the WLAN-enabled end device 10 as the source IP address and the IP address of the WLAN-enabled end device 30 as the destination IP address and an outer Ethernet header with the MAC address of the WLAN-enabled end device 10 as the source MAC address and the MAC address of the WLAN-enabled end device 30, via which the Ethernet-enabled end device can be reached as the actual destination, as the destination MAC address.

[0111] The header of the WLAN data frame to be transmitted contains three MAC addresses: the MAC address of the WLAN-enabled terminal device 10 as the source MAC address, the MAC address of the access point 20 as the destination MAC address and the MAC address of the WLAN-enabled terminal device 30.

[0112] The WLAN data frame transmitted via WLAN interface 13 is received by WLAN interface 23 and passed to control device 24. Control device 24 is configured to evaluate the information contained in the header of the received WLAN data frame. After evaluating the information, control device 24 knows that the VXLAN packet contained in the WLAN data frame is to be forwarded to WLAN-capable terminal device 30. Control device 24 is configured to forward the received VXLAN packet in the WLAN data frame via WLAN interface 23 while executing the stored software, so that the WLAN data frame can be received at WLAN interface 33 of WLAN-capable terminal device 30.

[0113] The WLAN interface 33 of the WLAN-enabled terminal 30 transfers the received WLAN data frame to the control device 34, which is configured to extract the Ethernet data frame contained in the received VXLAN packet, which contains the MAC address of the Ethernet-enabled terminal 50 as the destination MAC address, by executing the software stored in the memory device, i.e., in particular, the VXLAN tunnel endpoint. Based on the destination MAC address, the control device 34 recognizes that the Ethernet data frame is intended for the Ethernet-enabled terminal 50 connected to the Ethernet-based interface 31. Accordingly, the control device 34 transfers the extracted Ethernet data frame to the Ethernet-based interface 31 for forwarding the Ethernet data frame to the Ethernet-enabled terminal 50.The Ethernet-capable terminal device 50 is designed to receive, in a manner known per se, the Ethernet data frame received via the Ethernet-based interface 51, to extract the IP packet and to process the data contained in the IP packet depending on the application program.

[0114] Thanks to the exemplary communication system 1 shown in Figure 3, it is possible, with the aid of VXLAN tunnel technology, to enable Ethernet-capable terminal devices, such as terminal devices 40, 50, and 70, to communicate with each other, even though they can only be reached via WLAN-capable terminal devices 10 or 30 and an access point 20, whose MAC addresses do not match the MAC addresses of the respective Ethernet-based terminal devices 40, 50, and 70. Furthermore, the exemplary communication system 1 enables WLAN-capable terminal devices that do not have VXLAN functionality, such as WLAN-capable terminal device 60, and the Ethernet-capable terminal devices 40, 50, or 70, to communicate with each other.

Claims

Patent claims 1. WLAN-enabled terminal device (10) comprising: - a control device (14), - a storage device (15) in which software executable by the control device (14) and implementing a VXLAN tunnel endpoint (16) is stored, - an Ethernet-based interface (11) designed for Ethernet-based communication with an Ethernet-capable terminal device (40), - a wireless interface (13) configured for wireless communication according to a WLAN standard, in particular with a WLAN-enabled base station (20) of a WLAN network (100), wherein the WLAN-enabled terminal (10) is assigned only one IP address, wherein the control device (14) is configured to cause the WLAN-enabled terminal (10) to execute the stored software: a1) check whether an Ethernet data frame arriving at the Ethernet-based interface (11) is intended for the WLAN-enabled terminal (10), a2) if not, transfer the Ethernet data frame to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint (16), wherein the VXLAN tunnel endpoint is configured to encapsulate the transferred Ethernet data frame in a VXLAN packet, and a3) transfer the VXLAN packet generated by the VXLAN tunnel endpoint to the wireless interface (13) for transmission in a WLAN data frame,and / or b1) to transfer a VXLAN packet received via the wireless interface (13) in a WLAN data frame, in which an Ethernet data frame is encapsulated, to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint (16), wherein the VXLAN tunnel endpoint is designed to extract the Ethernet data frame encapsulated therein from the received VXLAN packet, and b2) to forward the Ethernet data frame via the Ethernet-based interface (11).

2. WLAN-enabled terminal according to claim 1, wherein the software stored in the memory device (15) implements a first software bridge and a second software bridge, wherein the first software bridge is designed to transfer an Ethernet data frame arriving at the Ethernet-based interface (11) to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint (16) and to transfer an Ethernet data frame extracted from a VXLAN packet by the VXLAN tunnel endpoint (16) to the Ethernet-based interface (11), wherein the second software bridge is designed to transfer a VXLAN packet received via the wireless interface (13) in a WLAN data frame to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint (16) for decapsulation and to transfer a VXLAN packet generated by the VXLAN tunnel endpoint to the wireless interface (13) for transmission in a WLAN data frame.

3. WLAN-enabled terminal according to one of the preceding claims, wherein an Ethernet data frame contains an Address Resolution Protocol packet or an IP packet.

4. WLAN-enabled terminal according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control device (14) is further designed to - by executing the stored software, to cause the WLAN-enabled terminal (10) to check whether a received Ethernet data frame is intended for the WLAN-enabled terminal (10), and - if so, to cause the WLAN-enabled terminal (10) to process the Ethernet data frame.

5. WLAN-enabled base station (20) for use in a WLAN network (100) comprising: - a control device (24), - a storage device (25) in which software executable by the control device (24) and implementing a VXLAN tunnel endpoint (26) is stored, - a wireless interface (23) which is designed for wireless communication according to a WLAN standard, wherein the wireless interface is assigned a unique MAC address, wherein the WLAN-enabled base station (20) is assigned only one IP address, and wherein the control device (24) is designed to cause the WLAN-enabled base station (20) by executing the stored software to i) check whether a WLAN data frame received via the wireless interface (23) contains a VXLAN packet which is intended for the base station, wherein the VXLAN packet contains an Ethernet data frame, and ii) if so, to extract the Ethernet data frame from the VXLAN packet.

6. WLAN-enabled base station according to claim 5, further comprising an Ethernet-based interface (21) which is designed for Ethernet-based communication with an Ethernet-enabled terminal (70), wherein the control device (24) is designed to cause the WLAN-enabled base station (20) to execute the stored software, further check whether the extracted Ethernet data frame is to be forwarded via the Ethernet-based interface (21) or the wireless interface (23), and, if the extracted Ethernet data frame is to be forwarded via the Ethernet-based interface (21), to transfer the extracted Ethernet data frame to the Ethernet-based interface (21) for forwarding, or, if the extracted Ethernet data frame is to be forwarded via the wireless interface (23),converting the extracted Ethernet data frame into a WLAN data frame and passing the WLAN data frame to the wireless interface (23) for transmission.

7. WLAN-enabled base station according to claim 6, wherein the control device (24) is designed to cause the WLAN-enabled base station (20) to receive an Ethernet signal received via the Ethernet-based interface (21) by executing the stored software. Encapsulate data frames in a VXLAN packet and transmit the VXLAN packet in a WLAN data frame over the wireless interface (23).

8. WLAN-enabled base station according to claim 7, wherein the control device (24) is designed to cause the WLAN-enabled base station (20) to i) first check whether an Ethernet data frame received via the Ethernet-based interface (21) is to be encapsulated in a VXLAN packet, ii) if so, to pass the Ethernet data frame to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint, wherein the VXLAN tunnel endpoint is designed to encapsulate the passed Ethernet data frame in a VXLAN packet, and iii) to pass the VXLAN packet generated by the VXLAN tunnel endpoint to the wireless interface (23) for transmission in a WLAN data frame.

9. WLAN-enabled base station according to one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the software stored in the memory device (25) implements a first software bridge and a second software bridge, wherein the first software bridge is designed to transfer a VXLAN packet received via the wireless interface (23) and intended for the WLAN-enabled base station (20) to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint (26) via at least one virtual Ethernet interface and the second software bridge, and to transfer an Ethernet data frame extracted by the VXLAN tunnel endpoint (26) from a VXLAN packet to the Ethernet-based interface (21) or the wireless interface (23).

10. Communication system (1) comprising: a WLAN network (100) and a wired Ethernet-based system (90), wherein the wired Ethernet-based system (90) has at least a first, second and third Ethernet-capable terminal (40, 50, 70) each having an Ethernet-based interface (41, 51, 71), wherein each of the Ethernet capable terminals (40, 50, 70) are assigned a unique MAC address, wherein the WLAN network (100) has at least a first and a second WLAN-capable terminal (10, 30) according to one of claims 1 to 4 and a WLAN-capable base station (20) according to one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the first Ethernet-capable terminal (40) is connected to the first WLAN-capable terminal (10) and the second Ethernet-capable terminal (50) is connected to the second WLAN-capable terminal (30).

11. Communication system according to claim 10 in conjunction with claim 6, wherein the third Ethernet-capable terminal (70) is connected to the WLAN-capable base station (20).

12. Communication system according to claim 10 or 11, wherein at least one WLAN-capable terminal (60) is provided without VXLAN functionality.

13. Communication system according to one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the communication system (1) is designed to control communication between the first and second Ethernet-capable terminal devices (40, 50) connected to the first and second WLAN-capable terminal devices (10, 30), respectively.

14. Communication system according to claims 12 and 13, wherein the communication system (1) is designed to control communication between the first, second and third Ethernet-capable terminal devices (40, 50, 70), which are each connected to the first and second WLAN-capable terminal devices (10, 30) or to the WLAN-capable base station (20), and the at least one WLAN-capable terminal device (60) without VXLAN functionality.

15. Communication system according to one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the first Ethernet-capable terminal (40) is designed to generate an Ethernet data frame intended for the second Ethernet-capable terminal (50) and to transmit the Ethernet data frame to the Ethernet-based interface (11) of the first WLAN-capable terminal (10), wherein the Ethernet data frame contains the MAC address of the second Ethernet-capable terminal (50) as the destination MAC address, wherein the control device (14) of the first WLAN-capable terminal (10) is designed to cause the WLAN-capable terminal (10) to transfer the Ethernet data frame to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint (16) by executing the stored software, wherein the VXLAN tunnel endpoint is designed to encapsulate the transferred Ethernet data frame in a VXLAN packet containing header information that contains the VXLAN tunnel endpoint addressed,and to transfer the VXLAN packet generated by the VXLAN tunnel endpoint to the wireless interface (13) for transmission in a first WLAN data frame, wherein the first WLAN data frame contains the address of the WLAN-enabled terminal device (30) and the address of the WLAN-enabled base station (20), wherein the control device (24) of the WLAN-enabled base station (20) is designed to cause the WLAN-enabled base station (20) to transmit the VXLAN packet contained in the received first WLAN data frame in a second WLAN data frame via the wireless interface (23), wherein the second WLAN data frame contains the address of the second WLAN-enabled terminal device (30), wherein the control device (34) of the second WLAN-enabled terminal device (30) is designed to cause the second WLAN-enabled terminal device (30) to transmit the VXLAN packet contained in the received first WLAN data frame in a second WLAN data frame via the wireless interface (23), wherein the second WLAN data frame contains the address of the second WLAN-enabled terminal device (30),a) the VXLAN packet received via the wireless interface (33) in the second WLAN data frame, in which the Ethernet-capable terminal device, (50) addressed Ethernet data frame is encapsulated, to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint, wherein the VXLAN tunnel endpoint is designed to extract the Ethernet data frame encapsulated therein from the received VXLAN packet, and b) to transmit the extracted Ethernet data frame via the Ethernet-based interface (31) to the second Ethernet-capable terminal (50).

16. Communication system according to one of claims 10 to 15 in conjunction with claim 11, wherein the first Ethernet-capable terminal (40) is configured to generate an Ethernet data frame intended for the third Ethernet-capable terminal (70) and to transmit the Ethernet data frame to the Ethernet-based interface (11) of the first WLAN-capable terminal (10), wherein the Ethernet data frame contains the MAC address of the third Ethernet-capable terminal (70) as the destination MAC address, wherein the control device (14) of the first WLAN-capable terminal (10) is configured to cause the WLAN-capable terminal (10) to transfer the Ethernet data frame to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint (16) by executing the stored software, wherein the VXLAN tunnel endpoint is configured to encapsulate the transferred Ethernet data frame in a VXLAN packet containing header information,which addresses the VXLAN tunnel endpoint implemented in the WLAN-capable base station (20), and to transfer the VXLAN packet generated by the VXLAN tunnel endpoint to the wireless interface (13) for transmission in a WLAN data frame, wherein the WLAN data frame contains an address of the WLAN-capable base station (20), wherein the control device (24) of the WLAN-capable base station (20) is designed, by executing the stored software, to cause the WLAN-capable base station (20) to transfer the VXLAN packet received via the wireless interface (23) in the WLAN data frame, in which the VXLAN packet for the third Ethernet-capable, terminal (70) addressed Ethernet data frame is encapsulated, to the VXLAN tunnel endpoint, wherein the VXLAN tunnel endpoint is designed to extract the Ethernet data frame encapsulated therein from the received VXLAN packet, and to transmit the extracted Ethernet data frame via the Ethernet-based interface (21) to the third Ethernet-capable terminal (70).

Images