Information transmission network including a plurality of nodes interconnected by links and methods for the transmission of information through a network including a plurality of nodes interconnected by links

摘要

A data transmission network comprises a plurality of interconnected nodes and input/output units. In response to receipt of a data message for onward transmission through the network, each node accesses information which it stores relating to the then current topology of the network and transmits the message through the appropriate connecting links. Each node operates according to a predetermined algorithm to up- date its stored topology information. Each node at any given time assumes a particular state, state n. When in this state, it interrogates immediately each neighboring node with the question "Who are the neighbors of node of distance (n-1) from you?" where "distance" is defined in terms of the number of links. The addressed nodes respond either by returning the requested information in the form of a positive reply or by responding "Don't yet know". Each node advances to state (n+1) after it has received a consistent set of positive replies from all its neighbors and then repeats the question, again to each of its immediate neighbors but now concerning the identities of the next more distant nodes. The information received as it advances through the states is stored and thus up-dates the topology information.