Patent ID: 7058024

Claim:
A telecommunications network, comprising: at least two network devices, each of said network devices comprising at least one network port; at least one communications path interconnecting the network ports of each of said at least two network devices, each combination of communications path and interconnected network ports forming a network link; and at least one controller in communication with said at least two network devices, said at least one controller configured to perform the steps: detecting a network modification within said telecommunications network; causing at least one of said network devices to transmit a first port identification message to a successive network device in said communications path, said first port identification message including information regarding at least said at least one originally transmitting network device's perception of the successive network device's network links; receiving a second port identification message from said successive network device, said second port identification message including information regarding at least said successive network device's perception of its own network links; comparing said at least one originally transmitting network device's perception of the successive network device's network links with said successive network device's perception of its own network links; and updating, if said at least one originally transmitting network device's perception of the successive network device's network links does not agree with said successive network device's perception of its own network links, said at least one originally transmitting network device's perception of the successive network device's network links to agree with said successive network device's perception of its own network links.