Patent ID: 9712393
Date: 2017-07-18
CPC Classifications: H04L

Claim:
1. A computerized method comprising: detecting, at a first switch, a loop condition in a network via standard simple loop prevention protocol (SLPP) packet processing; generating, at the first switch, a localize loop message having an instance count and a path list, wherein the instance count contains a unique value corresponding to a given iteration that a localize loop message was transmitted in so as to provide a mechanism for serialization of shutting down ports, and wherein the instance count permits switches to determine the given iteration a given localize loop message was transmitted in, when more than one iteration of localize loop messages is transmitted; setting, at the first switch, the instance count of the localize loop message to a predetermined first value that serves as an initial identifier of a first iteration of localize loop messages being transmitted; transmitting, from the first switch, the localize loop message to a second switch as the first iteration of localize loop messages being transmitted; detecting, at the second switch, a loop in the network; sending, from the second switch, a localize loop response message to the first switch; incrementing, at the first switch, the predetermined first value of the instance count to generate an incremented instance count; transmitting from the first switch a new localized loop message including the incremented instance count when the first switch receives a localize loop response from the second switch, wherein transmitting the new localize loop message comprises a second iteration of localize loop messages being transmitted; determining when to stop sending localize loop messages after a time out period when the first switch does not receive any further localize loop responses from the second switch; and resuming, at the first switch, standard SLPP packet processing.