Patent ID: 6950870
Filing Date: 2005-09-27
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of loop detection and dissolution in a communication network including a plurality of nodes, each of the plurality of nodes being directly linked through ports to at least one neighbor node and indirectly linked through a neighbor node to at least one remote node, the method comprising: (a) detecting a change in topology of the network by at least one of the plurality of nodes; (b) sending a vote token from the detecting node to each neighbor node, said vote token including an address of the detecting node and number of neighbor nodes of the detecting node; (c) receiving the vote token from the sending node at each of the neighbor nodes from the sending node and: (d) repeating step (c1) and (c2) by each node to which a vote token is either sent or forwarded until one of the nodes receives a token which that node sent and thereby becomes the elected loop-checker node; (e) sending a loop-check token from the elected loop-checker node to each of the neighbor nodes, said loop check token including an address of the loop-checker node and identification of the port from which the loop-check token was sent; (f) receiving the loop-check token at each of the neighbor nodes and forwarding the loop-check token to each neighbor node through a port that is different than the port identified in the loop-check token; and (g) muting any port of the loop-checker node on which the loop-check token is received.