Patent ID: 7782760

Claim:
A switched Local Area Network (LAN) structure, comprising: a plurality of active LAN switches that generate and transmit Protocol Data Units (PDUs); a plurality of passive end stations that only transmit response PDUs in response to receiving PDUs from the active LAN switches; and a plurality of Ethernet links connecting the active LAN switches and the passive end stations; wherein each of the active LAN switches and the passive end stations include: a plurality of ports for transmitting and receiving PDUs on the plurality of Ethernet links; a plurality of state machines, each state machine associated with a different one of the plurality of ports, wherein each state machine controls whether the state machine's associated port is in an isolated state or an available state based solely on measurements of PDUs received at the associated port; and means for isolating or making each port available based on control inputs from each port's associated state machine; and wherein each of the active LAN switches includes means for controlling for each of its ports, whether or not a particular end station connected at the far end of a corresponding Ethernet link, is allowed to transmit traffic flows towards the active LAN switch through the corresponding Ethernet link, by modifying an interval with which the active LAN switch generates and transmits PDUs toward the particular end station.