Patent ID: 7075886

Claim:
In a communication network wherein communication links become intermittently disabled, a communication unit to transmit and receive messages within said network comprising: a communication device to transmit an outgoing message to at least one other communication unit within said network and to receive an incoming message from at least one other communication unit within said network; and a routing device to route outgoing messages within said network to corresponding destination sites, wherein said routing device includes: a protocol module to facilitate routing of messages within said network in accordance with a routing protocol, wherein said protocol module includes a network module to determine routes within said network for transmission of said outgoing messages to said corresponding destination sites, and wherein said routing protocol facilitates recomputation of said routes within said network by said network module in response to occurrence of a particular condition indicating disablement of a communication link; and a route generation module to predict occurrence of disablement of said communication link and establish said particular condition within said network prior to actual disablement of that communication link to enable said network module to recompute said routes based on and prior to said communication link disablement in accordance with said routing protocol.