Data path reroute time investigation: in a multiport bridge interconnected network

Wide-area networks are used to interconnect clusters of computers and user devices connected by local area networks. Hybrids of local and wide area networks can provide high performance data channels with good connectivity. Bridges are currently used to interconnect islands of different data communication protocols in heterogeneous environments. The author describes a bridge connected network, with the spanning tree algorithm governing its network topology. Data path reroute times due to link down or component failure are investigated. Schemes to improve reroute time due to topology reconfiguration are proposed. An attempt is also made to enhance the spanning tree algorithm with a mesh algorithm. The mesh algorithm will add features such as multiple active connections in addition to the redundant link that the spanning tree has provided. The reroute time for the mesh algorithm is also investigated