Patent ID: 7362709

Claim:
A digital storage system comprising: (a) a digital storage facility; (b) a mesh network of routers connected to the digital storage facility; (c) a plurality of access points to the network for connection to a plurality of user computers; (d) each router in the network having a plurality of links connected between it and a neighboring router; (e) the network operating on an open shortest path first protocol; (f) each router being programmed for: (i) calculating the shortest path to other routers starting with a first hop to a neighboring router along one of the links connecting to a neighboring router; (ii) storing at least each shortest first path hop of each calculated shortest path; (iii) calculating alternate paths to other routers, which alternate paths have a first hop on another of the links connecting to a further neighboring router; (iv) storing the calculated alternate paths; (v) detecting whether links connected to the router are operable; (vi) for a limited time interval following detection of a link becoming inoperable, employing a previously calculated one of the alternate paths for communications to those routers for which the first hop on the calculated shortest path was along the now-inoperable link.