METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DISCRIMINATING TOPOLOGY OF NETWORK

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system and a method which successively discriminate and constitute nodes of a network having an unknown or partially unknown topology. SOLUTION: A special all node address flag is designed which is to be inserted to a packet which is transmitted from a prescribed node having a known node address to a next adjacent node having an unknown node address. Each node 40 includes a port control register 50 for each port 42 of the node 40, and this port control register 50 instructs the node to insert the all node address flag to the packet transferred to the next adjacent node in the network having an unknown node address when it is set. Port control registers 50 are remotely and selectively set by one or plural management nodes in the network.