Patent ID: 7145878

Claim:
A method for eliminating loops in a communication network, which includes nodes mutually connected by network segments, the method comprising: configuring the nodes to operate as virtual bridges, having virtual ports that link the virtual bridges one to another over respective virtual connections, each of the virtual connections coinciding respectively with one or more of the network segments, and at least one of the virtual connections coinciding respectively with two or more of the network segments, which are linked in series via at least one intermediate node; assigning to the virtual ports respective port costs that are responsive to a count of the network segments with which the respective virtual connections coincide, so as to favor virtual paths between pairs of the nodes that are made up of a greater number of the virtual connections, relative to the virtual paths that are made up of a lesser number of the virtual connections; computing respective path costs for the virtual paths, based on the port costs; and selecting the virtual connections over which to send traffic between the virtual bridges responsive to the path costs.