Patent ID: 8339955

Claim:
In a communication network including a link between first and second nodes communicating with each other using a network protocol selectable by the first and the second nodes by sending a network data stream from the first node to the second using a first network protocol and determining if the network data stream has been recognized by the second node, a method for controlling selection of the network protocol, the method comprising: (a) placing a network diagnostic component in-line between the first and the second nodes, wherein the network data stream is available to the network diagnostic component; (b) initiating sending of the network data stream from the first to the second node using the first network protocol; (c) using the network diagnostic component to modify the network data stream of step (b), so as to make the network data stream not recognizable by the second node, thereby forcing the first node to initiate sending of the network data stream from the first to the second node using a second network protocol, and wherein in step (c), the modification of the network data stream includes changing at least a portion of the network data stream into a D.C. idle portion by blocking the portion of the network data stream, such that the blocked portion is not passed to the second node.