Method and Apparatus for Detection of Port Name in a Loop Network

An apparatus for detection of a port name in a loop network, the apparatus comprising:

• a loop network including at least one loop;
• a plurality of devices connected to the loop via ports, each port having a unique hard port name;
• means for bypassing ports on the loop;
• means for determining which ports are populated on the loop with devices for which the port name is not known;
• a determining device capable of entering a mode on the loop network in which idle frames are transmitted around the loop network;
• the determining device receiving and recording the port names for each populated port on the loop.

A computer program product stored on a computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable program code means for detection of device names in a loop network, the loop network having a loop, a plurality of devices each device having at least one port on the loop network and each port having a unique hard port name, the program code means performing the steps of:

• determining which ports are populated with devices for which the port name is not known;
• bypassing all the populated ports;
• entering a mode on the loop network in which idle frames are transmitted around the loop network;
• un-bypassing one port at a time and receiving the port name from the un-bypassed port, without affecting any existing port bypasses.