Methods and devices for improving the multiple spanning tree protocol
First Claim
1. A method of controlling a network having a plurality of bridges, the method comprising:
- configuring a bridge in a region of the network as a root of a respective Multiple Spanning Tree Instance (“
MSTI”
) after such bridge receives one or more frames from a device that does not specify another root or another MSTI; and
sending from the bridge unicast frames according to an MSTI having another receiving bridge as a root bridge;
wherein a field of the unicast frames has one bit for each MSTI of the region; and
resetting at the bridge a bit of the field of the unicast frames sent from the bridge and such bit being reset for an individual MSTI to “
No”
whenever another unicast frame is received on a port of the bridge that is not a root port of the individual MSTI.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides improved unicast routing, multicast routing and unicast load sharing as compared with conventional methods. Preferred implementations of the invention provide improvements to IEEE 802.1Q. According to preferred aspects of the invention, each bridge is the root of its own multiple spanning tree instance (“MSTI”). Preferred implementations of the invention require no learning of media access control (“MAC”) addresses on the backbone of a network. Some methods of the invention can resolve spanning tree asymmetries. Preferred implementations of the invention require a very low computational load for control protocols.
49 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method of controlling a network having a plurality of bridges, the method comprising:
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configuring a bridge in a region of the network as a root of a respective Multiple Spanning Tree Instance (“
MSTI”
) after such bridge receives one or more frames from a device that does not specify another root or another MSTI; andsending from the bridge unicast frames according to an MSTI having another receiving bridge as a root bridge; wherein a field of the unicast frames has one bit for each MSTI of the region; and resetting at the bridge a bit of the field of the unicast frames sent from the bridge and such bit being reset for an individual MSTI to “
No”
whenever another unicast frame is received on a port of the bridge that is not a root port of the individual MSTI. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of controlling a network, comprising:
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at a first bridge of the network, forming a field of a first frame having one bit for each Multiple Spanning Tree Instance (“
MSTI”
) of a region including an individual MSTI of the first bridge; andat the first bridge, after receiving a second frame, setting a bit of a field of the second frame that corresponds to the individual MSTI to “
No”
if the second frame was passed from a second bridge through a port of the first bridge that is not a root port of the individual MSTI. - View Dependent Claims (14)
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15. A network apportioned into a plurality of regions, the network comprising a plurality of bridges in a region of the network, a bridge configured as a root of a respective Multiple Spanning Tree Instance (“
- MSTI”
) after the bridge receives one or more frames from a device that does not specify a root or a MSTI for such device and the bridge is further configured to send unicast frames according to an MSTI having another receiving bridge as a root bridge after the other receiving bridge is configured, the bridge is further configured to form a field of a first unicast frame having one bit for each MSTI of the region, wherein the bridge is further configured to set a bit of the field that corresponds to an individual MSTI to “
No”
when a second unicast frame is passed through and received by a port of the bridge that is not a root port of the individual MSTI.
- MSTI”
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16. At least one computer readable storage medium having computer program instructions stored thereon that are arranged to perform the following operations, and wherein the at least one computer readable storage medium includes one or more of a magnetic media, magneto-optical media, or optical media:
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at a network device, determining that the network device is in a region of a network; at the network device, configuring the network device as a root of a first Multiple Spanning Tree Instance (“
MSTI”
) after such network device receives one or more frames from another device that do not specify a root or a MSTI;from the network device, sending multicast frames according to the first MSTI; from the network device, sending unicast frames according to a second MSTI, wherein another receiving bridge in the region of the network is a root bridge of the second MSTI, unicast frames having a field containing one bit for each MSTI in the region; and at the network device, changing a bit corresponding to an individual MSTI whenever a unicast frame is received on a port that is not a regional root port of the individual MSTI.
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Specification