Patent ID: 7633855

Claim:
A system for resolving address conflicts in a network, the system comprising: an address-configuration module in a network device adapted to assign Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to one or more devices, the one or more devices being coupled to the network via one or more device interfaces in an UP state to establish an IP connection from the network device through the one or more device interfaces on the network to the one or more devices to allow IP connectivity, the addresses being assigned by the network device wherein an address conflict occurs in a plurality of device interfaces in the UP state; an interface-monitoring module in the network device in communication with the address-configuration module, the interface-monitoring module being adapted to determine when an address conflict occurs between the plurality of device interfaces and to provide a signal in response thereto, the address conflict involving plural addresses for the plurality of device interfaces, wherein the IP connection is established before the address conflict is determined; and a conflict-resolution module that is adapted to employ one or more predetermined precedence rules to analyze the plural addresses for the plurality of device interfaces in the UP state and selectively terminate, in response to the signal, one or more device interfaces associated with the plural addresses, wherein termination of the one or more device interfaces brings one or more connections to terminate IP connectivity to the one or more device interfaces.