Patent ID: 7239613

Claim:
A routing apparatus for routing data packets in a network, the network comprising a plurality of network elements each arranged to support one or more sets of one or more protocols, the network comprising a sub-network comprising a plurality of said network elements, the routing apparatus being included, in use, in a first network element of said sub-network, the first network element being arranged to support at least two protocol sets, wherein, upon designation of said first network element to represent the other network elements in the sub-network in respect of two or more of said at least two protocol sets, the routing apparatus is arranged to create a respective routing data packet for each of said two or more protocol sets and to cause said routing data packets to be propagated through the network, and wherein, upon resignation of said first network element as representative in respect of one of said protocol sets, the routing apparatus is arranged to cause the respective routing data packet for said one protocol set only to be purged from the network.