# US 11,310,097 B2 · Virtual stack recovery > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,310,097 B2 - Document ID: US11310097B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/742,042 - Filed: 2020-01-14 - Published: 2020-07-30 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2019-01-24 - Assignees: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP - Applicants: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP - Inventors: Chivukula Koundinya; Subhashini Natarajan; Harish Shivaram - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11310097B2 ## CPC - H04L 43/0817: by checking functioning - H04L 12/4641: {Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] (LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272)} - H04L 41/0654: using network fault recovery (ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437) - H04L 41/0893: Assignment of logical groups to network elements - H04L 41/40: using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities - H04L 43/20: the monitoring system or the monitored elements being virtualised, abstracted or software-defined entities, e.g. SDN or NFV - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract Examples disclosed herein relate to a method comprising detecting, by a first network device, an interruption in a network stack of network devices connected to each other through a plurality of dedicated links. The method may also include identifying, by the first network device, a network device in the network stack with a highest split priority, determining, by the first network device, that the network device with the highest split priority belongs to a first fragment of the network stack and marking, by the first network device, the first fragment as an active fragment of the network stack. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: detecting, by a network device, an interruption in a network stack of network devices coupled to each other through a plurality of links, wherein a split priority value is allocated to a respective network device of the network stack, and wherein the interruption splits the network stack into two or more fragments; in response to detecting the interruption, identifying, by the network device, a first network device with a highest split priority value in the network stack; determining, by the network device, that the first network device with the highest split priority belongs to a first fragment of the network stack; and in response to the network device belonging to the first fragment, marking, by the network device, the first fragment as an active fragment of the network stack. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a split priority for each network device in the network stack is stored on each network device in the network stack. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a subset of the network devices in a same layer of a network are virtualized into a Virtual Switching Framework (VSF) stack. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the network devices in the network stack are not connected to an intermediary network device used for managing stack splits. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a front-plane port of the network device is not coupled to an intermediary network device used for managing stack splits. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, by the network device, that a second network device in a second fragment of the network stack is associated with the highest split priority value. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising: marking, by the network device, the first fragment and the second fragment as the active fragment of the network stack. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising: identifying, by the network device, a secondary priority indicator for the first and second network devices. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein determining the first fragment as the active fragment of the network stack further comprises: determining, by the network device, that the first network device is associated with a highest secondary priority indicator and the highest split priority value. ### Claim 10 A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions, the instructions executable by a processor of a system to cause the system to: detect, by a network device, an interruption in a network stack of network devices coupled to each other through a plurality of links, wherein a split priority value is allocated to a respective network device of the network stack, and wherein the interruption splits the network stack into two or more fragments; in response to detecting the interruption, identify, by the network device, a first network device with a highest split priority value in the network stack; determine, by the network device, that the first network device with the highest split priority belongs to a first fragment of the network stack; and in response to the network device belonging to the first fragment, mark, by the network device, the first fragment as an active fragment of the network stack. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, the instructions executable by the processor to further cause the system to: determine, in response to the network device not belonging to the first fragment, that the network device belongs in a second fragment of the network stack; and mark, by the network device, the second fragment as an inactive fragment of the network stack. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, the instructions executable by the processor to further cause the system to: determine, by the first network device, that a third network device in a third fragment of the network stack is associated with the highest split priority value; and mark, by the first network device, the first segment and the third fragment as the active fragment of the network stack. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, the instructions executable by the processor to further cause the system to: determine, by the network device, that multiple network devices in the network stack are associated with the highest split priority value; and identify, by the network device, a secondary priority indicator, for each of the multiple network devices; and wherein determining the first fragment as the active fragment of the network stack further comprises determining, by the network device, that the first network device is associated with with a highest secondary priority indicator and the highest split priority. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the network devices in the network stack are not connected to an intermediary network device used for managing stack splits. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: determining, in response to the network device not belonging to the first fragment, that the network device belongs in a second fragment of the network stack; and marking, by the network device, the second fragment as an inactive fragment of the network stack. ### Claim 16 A system comprising: a processor; and a memory storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the system to: detect, by a network device, an interruption in a network stack of network devices coupled to each other through a plurality of links, wherein a split priority value is allocated to a respective network device of the network stack, and wherein the interruption splits the network stack into two or more fragments; in response to detecting the interruption, identify, by the network device, a first network device with a highest split priority value in the network stack; determine, by the network device, that the first network device with the highest split priority belongs to a first fragment of the network stack; and in response to the network device belonging to the first fragment, mark, by the network device, the first fragment as an active fragment of the network stack. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16 wherein a split priority for each network device in the network stack is stored on each network device in the network stack. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16 wherein a subset of the network devices in a same layer of a network are virtualized into Virtual Switching Framework (VSF) stack. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16 wherein a front-plane port of the network device is not coupled to an intermediary network device used for managing stack splits. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the instructions that when executed by the processor cause the system further to: determine, in response to the network device not belonging to the first fragment, that the network device belongs in a second fragment of the network stack; and mark, by the network device, the second fragment as an inactive fragment of the network stack.