A router is disclosed for supporting local-level communication between separate subnets managed by different subnet managers. The router preferably makes one or more end nodes from one subnet "visible" to the subnet manager of another subnet. The end nodes may consequently be identified by one local identifier (LID) value in one subnet, but by another LID value in a different subnet. In a preferred embodiment, the router accepts from a first subnet local IB packets directed to end nodes made visible from a second subnet, and processes the local IB packet to convert the first subnet LID values for destination and source end nodes to second subnet LID values for these end nodes.