Patent ID: 8838758

Claim:
A source device, comprising: at least one port and a topology manager configured to: detect a plug event in a port of the at least one port, wherein the plug event comprises connection of a sink device or a branch device to the port; in response to the plug event comprising connection of a sink device, assign an address for the sink device as a port number for the port to which the sink device is plugged, wherein the connection of the sink device comprises connection of a display; in response to the plug event comprising connection of a branch device: cause issuance of a command to the branch device to provide a port number of a port of the branch device, the port of the branch device connected to another device, access a determined port number of the port of the branch device, the port of the branch device connected to the another device, and assign an address for the another device, wherein to assign the address for the another device, the topology manager is to prepend (i) the port number of the port of the source device connected to the branch device to (ii) the determined port number of the port of the branch device that is connected to the another device, wherein to prepend, the topology manager is to place the (i) the port number of the port of the source device connected to the branch device in front of (ii) the determined port number of the port of the branch device that is connected to the another device.