DISTRIBUTED SPANNING TREE PROTOCOL
First Claim
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1. A network element coupled to a communication network, the network element comprising:
- a plurality of switching units configured to independently implement a Spanning Tree Protocol (xSTP) processing in a distributed manner including each of the plurality of switching units independently calculating an external spanning tree for the network element in the communication network, the network element acting as a single bridge to other network elements in a bridging domain of the communication network.
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Abstract
A network element coupled to a communication network is described. The network element includes multiple switching units. The switching units may be configured to independently implement a Spanning Tree Protocol (xSTP) processing in a completely distributed manner including each of the switching units independently calculating an external spanning tree for the network element in the communication network. The network element may act as a single bridge to other network elements in a bridging domain of the communication network.
12 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A network element coupled to a communication network, the network element comprising:
a plurality of switching units configured to independently implement a Spanning Tree Protocol (xSTP) processing in a distributed manner including each of the plurality of switching units independently calculating an external spanning tree for the network element in the communication network, the network element acting as a single bridge to other network elements in a bridging domain of the communication network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of controlling network traffic at a network element comprising a plurality of switching units, the method comprising:
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at a first switching unit included in the plurality of switching units, implementing a Spanning Tree Protocol (xSTP) processing, including the first switching unit calculating a first external spanning tree of a bridging domain that includes the network element; at a second switching unit included in the plurality of switching units, implementing xSTP processing independently from the first switching unit, including the second switching unit independently calculating a second external spanning tree of the bridging domain; and communicating control information between the plurality of switching units to facilitate distributed xSTP processing by the plurality of switching units, the network element appearing as a single bridge to other network elements in the bridging domain. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification