Patent ID: 6201794
Filing Date: 2001-03-13
Classification: H04L,H04Q

Abstract:
An information communication network comprising:a plurality of nodes;a plurality of links;a plurality of transfer points each of which is connected to at least three different ones of said plurality of links, said plurality of transfer points each providing connectivity between a first of said at least three different ones and a second of said at least three different ones of said plurality of links so as to provide a part of a network connection between a first of said plurality of nodes and a second of said plurality of nodes, anda routing bus that couples said plurality of nodes to each other without usage of any of said transfer points;at least one node of said plurality of nodes transmitting a pilot signal recognizable by another node of said plurality of nodes, said one node recording a path taken by said pilot signal to said another node and routing subsequent messages to said another node over said path,said one node recording the path taken by said pilot signal based on a route determining message sent over said routing bus from said another node to said one node, said routing bus being a bus dedicated for passing said route determining message between said plurality of nodes,wherein said pilot signal acquires routing tags indicative of points on a route through said network taken by said pilot signal from said one node to said another node, said routing tags being stored in a memory so that a subsequent message from said one node to said another node is passed through said points indicated by said routing tags,wherein said one node transmitting said pilot signal comprises said memory,wherein said one node comprises a master routing node, andwherein all others of said plurality of nodes operate as backup master routing nodes in a particular hierarchical order, such that when said one node fails, one of said all others of said plurality of nodes having a highest priority is selected as a new master routing node.