Patent ID: 7583672

Claim:
A static neighbor configured network device configured with a static neighbor feature, wherein the static neighbor configured network device comprises one or more processors and a memory containing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a set of steps comprising: receiving a multicast packet from a dynamically configured network device in a network segment with the static neighbor configured network device; determining if the dynamically configured network device is included in the static neighbor list of the static neighbor configured network device; accepting the multicast packet if the dynamically configured network device is found in the neighbor list for the static neighbor configured network device, wherein adjacency for the static neighbor configured network device is not lost with any other currently adjacent network devices when the multicast packet is received; and rejecting the multicast packet from the dynamically configured network device if the dynamically configured network device is not on the static neighbor list for the static neighbor configured network device, wherein adjacency for the static neighbor configured network device is not lost with any other currently adjacent network devices when the multicast packet is rejected.