Patent ID: 7366191

Claim:
A mesh network bridge having a plurality of mesh-connecting ports to interconnect a plurality of bridges including an own bridge and other bridges as a mesh network, comprising: a packet transmitter/receiver which reciprocally transmits and receives packets between the plurality of bridges through the plurality of mesh-connecting ports; a shortest path constructing unit which constructs the shortest path between the plurality of bridges through the packet transmitter/receiver; and a STP processing unit which executes STP processing to activate a spanning tree protocol (STP) for attaching redundancy to the mesh network with the shortest path constructed between the plurality of bridges by the shortest path constructing unit; wherein the STP processing unit comprises: a logic port storage unit which stores the plurality of mesh-connection ports and at least one logic port related to the plurality of mesh-connecting ports; a rereading unit which receives configuration bridge protocol data units (BPDU) of the other bridges from any one of the plurality of mesh-connecting ports through the packet transmitter/receiver, and rereads the BPDU as having been received from the logic port stored in the logic port storage unit; a BPDU receiving unit which receives the BPDU reread by the rereading unit as having been received from the logic port: a STP information management unit which determines an STP status of the logic port based on the BPDU received by the BPDU receiving unit; a STP information storage unit which receives and stores information on the STP status determined by the STP information management unit; a BPDU transmitting unit which transmits the BPDU to the other bridges through the packet transmitter/receiver based on the STP status stored in the STP information storage unit, in such a manner that in a case where the BPDU are transmitted from the logic port, the BPDU having a same root path cost and a same port priority are transmitted from all of the plurality of mesh-connecting ports related to the logic port; and a port status setting unit which sets all of the plurality of mesh-connecting ports related to the logic port to the same STP status as the logic port, based on the STP status which is stored in the STP information storage unit.