Patent ID: 7120683

Claim:
A method for selecting a master switch from a plurality of switches in a stack, each switch in the stack having at least one stack port for communication with at least another one of the plurality of switches in the stack, the method comprising: each switch in the stack communicating with at least one other switch in the stack via the at least one stack port thereof; determining whether at least one of the plurality of switches in the stack is an OSI Layer 3 switch; where at least one OSI Layer 3 switch is found in the stack, selecting the OSI Layer 3 switch having the lowest switch identification as the master switch of the stack; and where no OSI Layer 3 switch is found in the stack, selecting the switch having the lowest switch identification as the master switch of the stack; wherein the lowest switch identification is computed based on a unique Media Access Control address assigned to each switch in the stack, an Internet Protocol address assigned to each switch in the stack, a weight assigned to the stack port via which the switch is accessed, and a link cost assigned thereto.