APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR ALLOCATING ADDRESSES IN A NETWORK

An address assignment mechanism allows an address server to receive requests for network addresses from computer systems. Based on an identity of the requesting computer system, the address server selects an address for use from local addresses or guest addresses. If the address server identifies the requesting computer system as a guest computer system, then a guest address selected from a set of guest addresses is assigned and provided to that computer system, whereas if the address server identifies the requesting computer system a local computer system then the address server selects and assigns a local address (from the set of local addresses) to the requesting local computer system. Data communications devices selectively route data portions sent from computer systems depending upon if those data portions contain guest addresses or not. Selective transport therefore restricts access to certain parts of the network if the data portion contains a guest address.