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Use of remote poll to facilitate determining network topology

  • US 6,704,292 B1
  • Filed: 11/22/1999
  • Issued: 03/09/2004
  • Est. Priority Date: 05/10/1999
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method of supervising a network, which network comprises a plurality of components having ports, at least some of which ports are connected by links to ports on other components, at least one component including a non-learning port and further including an agent to ascertain and store the source addresses of remote components or ports to which at least some of its ports are connected when data is received from the relevant remote component, said method comprising:

  • interrogating said at least one component to establish a group of any ports which do not have the source address of the relevant remote component or its port to which they are connected by a link;

    in respect of at least one of the ports of said group, remotely polling the remote component to which it is connected via said port to cause said remote component to return to that port a signal including the address, whereby the source address of the relevant remote component or its port can be identified and stored, determining that a non-learning port is connected to the remote component if after remote polling, no port stores an address of the remote component, and including in a network topology any such returned and stored addresses and any such non-learning port connections.

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