Method and device for network address configuration

A data transfer system comprising network devices interconnected with data transfer links and organized to constitute a hierarchical logical arrangement having at least three levels of network hierarchy, the network devices including a first network device, a second network device at a lower level of the network hierarchy than the first network device, and at least two third network devices at a lower level of the network hierarchy than the second network device, wherein:

• the first network device is arranged to transmit to the second network device a first data item defining a first set of network addresses related to a communication protocol being used by the network devices, and
• the second network device is arranged to transmit second data items to the at least two third network devices, each of the third network devices being a destination for one of the second data items,
• wherein the second network device comprises a processing circuitry for composing the second data items on the basis of the first data item so that each of the second data items is defining one of second sets of network addresses so as to allocate one of the second sets of network addresses to each of the third network devices, the second sets of network addresses being mutually non-overlapping sub-sets of the first set of network addresses.

A method for network address configuration, the method comprising:

• receiving from a network device of a communication network a first data item defining a first set of network addresses related to a communication protocol being used in the communication network,
• composing at least two second data items on the basis of the first data item so that each of the second data items defines one of second sets of network addresses so as to allocate one of the second sets of network addresses to each of at least two other network devices, the second sets of network addresses being mutually non-overlapping sub-sets of the first set of network addresses, and
• transmitting the second data items to the at least two other network devices of the communication network, each of the other network devices being a destination for one of the second data items.

A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program for network address configuration, the computer program comprising computer executable instructions for controlling a programmable processor of a network device to:

• extract from data received, via a communication network, from a first other network device a first data item defining a first set of network addresses related to a communication protocol being used by the network device,
• control the network device to transmit, via the communication network, at least two second data items to at least two second other network devices, each of the second other network devices being a destination for one of the second data items, and
• compose the at least two second data items on the basis of the first data item so that each of the second data items is defining one of second sets of network addresses so as to allocate one of the second sets of network addresses to each of the second other network devices, the second sets of network addresses being mutually non-overlapping sub-sets of the first set of network addresses.