Method of exchanging address information using auto-negotiation to assist network topology

摘要

In the auto-negotiation process between two network devices according to the IEEE 802.3 standard, the 'Next Page' function, which permits additional information to be exchanged during the link-up process, is used to exchange address information. MAC or IP addresses and a code specifying the nature of the address information are transmitted in the Next Page message code fields. The address information may be retrieved from memory and stored in registers under the control of a state machine which performs the auto-negotiation. The address information is used to deduce network topology without the use of a complex deduction algorithm.