Patent ID: 6195351
Filing Date: 2001-02-27
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A load sharing switch set, comprising:a plurality of switches grouped together to form a single packet forwarding device functioning as a load sharing switch set, said plurality of switches forming a single logical device;a plurality of edge devices with media access controller (MAC) devices, each of said edge device including a trunk configuration management protocol (TCMP) agent;trunk link means for connecting each of said edge devices to each switch of said switch mesh by a separate link;hello transmit means associated with each MAC device for transmitting a hello signal to MAC devices of other said edge devices, said Hello signal including an edge device ID identifying a respective edge device of said MAC device;storage associated with each said MAC device for recording edge device ID's of said Hello signals received from other said edge devices;said TCMP agent of said respective edge device forming a trunk list for each other edge device, each said trunk list including all MAC devices of a respective edge device which received said Hello signals from one of said other edge devices;each said TCMP agent dividing traffic received for one of said other edge devices among said MAC devices of said trunk list for said one of said other edge devices, said dividing being according to a trunking convention.