Patent ID: 8428073

Claim:
A method for configuring a network device which receives a protocol data unit on a first port and forward that protocol data unit to at least one other port, comprising the steps of: setting an indicator of a change in processing of data units associated with a specified address in a device configuration field of a protocol data unit, thereby creating a protocol configuration data unit, wherein the protocol configuration data unit includes an address field with an address, and the device configuration field includes an unlearn field; forwarding the protocol configuration data unit to at least one port of the network device; receiving the protocol configuration data unit at the at least one port of the network device; in response to receiving the protocol configuration data unit with the indicator, reconfiguring the network device as indicated in the device configuration field, including removing an entry having the same address as the address in the address field from a forwarding table; receiving a subsequent packet associated with the specified address at the reconfigured network device; and processing the subsequent packet at the reconfigured network device in accordance with the reconfiguration indicated in the device configuration field of the protocol configuration data unit.