US Patent 7804840 Combined FCoE network device

Embodiments of the present invention are related to a device and a method for more efficiently processing Ethernet communications that include FCOE communications. In some embodiments the device is a single device including a combination of an aggregator, a filter and a gateway. Such a combination can be more practical, affordable and efficient than the usual arrangement of a several separate devices. In other embodiments, the device of the present invention can be a combination of a switch and a gateway. In yet other embodiments other types of devices can be used. More generally, embodiments of the present invention can apply to a device or method for processing communications involving a set of two network protocols (first and second protocols) as well as a third protocol, the third protocol being compatible with the first protocol and used to define how to tunnel the second protocol over the first protocol.