TOPOLOGY DISCOVERY IN A HYBRID NETWORK

摘要

Systems and methods provide a discovery protocol allowing nodes that are interested in knowing a network topology to discover other nodes in the network topology. The discovery protocol includes two message types, topology discovery messages and topology query messages. A node issues topology discovery messages upon powering up, at periodic intervals, or upon detecting a change in network topology. The topology discovery messages are broadcast to all nodes on a network and identify the issuing node to the network. A topology query message is sent to a particular node and requests a response from the receiving node regarding the neighboring nodes of the receiving node. The querying node can use the response data to discover other nodes and to send the discovered nodes query messages such that the node can determine a network topology to a desired level of depth within the network.