Patent ID: 7929428

Claim:
A switch for use in a communications network, said network comprising a plurality of switches interconnected in a ring by communication links, each of said switch comprising: one or more transceivers for being connected to associated links to one or more other switches; a switch fabric for routing information to and from said one or more transceivers; a routing table; and one or more processors, said one or more processors for controlling said switch to: test the quality of links between switches, wherein said one or more processors control said switch to periodically transmit and receive test messages to and from neighboring switches in said ring and detect the quality of links carrying said test messages; detect that one or more first links, when connected to said switch, do not meet a quality threshold; transmit information from said switch to other switches to identify said one or more first links; determine reroute paths for incoming traffic to said switch, such that the rerouted traffic does not traverse said one or more first links, due to said one or more first links being faulty, wherein each of said plurality of switches in the communications network determines said reroute paths independently of the other switches in the communications network; revise said routing table to reroute traffic according to the reroute paths; and route traffic to a destination switch, based on a revised routing table, so as to route said traffic in a direction around said ring different from a direction that the traffic would have traveled to said destination switch had said one or more first links not been faulty.