Patent ID: 7286489

Claim:
A method of forming a network of nodes from a plurality of nodes and a plurality of potential transmission links between respective nodes, at least one of the nodes being a connection node that provides a data connection into and out of the formed network, and wherein for each node that is not a connection node there is a maximum number of links acceptable for a transmission path from said node to a connection node, each node in the formed network being able to communicate with at least one other node by a transmission link between said each node and said at least one other node, each of the nodes in the formed network other than said connection node or connection nodes being linked to at least one connection node by at least one transmission path that comprises either a single transmission link between the node and a connection node or respective transmission links between the node and a connection node via one or more intermediate nodes, the method comprising the steps of: for a node which is not a connection node and which has not been linked to a connection node: (a) where there is a single connection node, identifying all transmission paths from said node to said single connection node that do not exceed said maximum number of links or, where there are plural connection nodes, identifying all transmission paths from said node to any of said connection nodes that do not exceed said maximum number of links; (b) determining an order of priority of said paths; (c) testing, in the determined order of priority, said paths against at least one criterion for acceptability until an acceptable path is found and providing links between the or each node on that acceptable path so that the or each node on that acceptable path is linked to a connection node by a transmission path which comprises either a single transmission link between the node and a connection node or respective transmission links between the node and a connection node via one or more intermediate nodes; and, (d) repeating steps (a) through (c) for all nodes which are not connection nodes and which have not been linked to a connection node.