Patent ID: 8417775

Claim:
A computer-implemented system comprising at least one processor coupled to at least one machine-readable medium storing instructions executable by the at least one processor to implement: a link component configured to introduce an introducing node to a neighborhood of nodes of a communications network, at least in part by sending an introduce message to the neighborhood of nodes, the introduce message identifying a current view of neighboring nodes of the introducing node, the neighborhood of nodes including a predetermined number of nodes closest to the introducing node, wherein the link component is further configured to cause the introducing node to become an introduced node based on the current view becoming a stable view of the neighboring nodes of the introducing node, wherein in the stable view the current view does not change after responses to the introduce message are received; and a set of rules for controlling extending the neighborhood of nodes, the set of rules including a rule requiring that, for an extending node to extend an edge of a neighborhood of the extending node from a first introduced node to a second introduced node, the extending node has no entries in a routing table of the extending node of any introduced node between the first introduced node and the second introduced node.