Ring network uplink designation

A system, comprising:

• a data store to store data describing operable connections between an external network and members of a ring network;
• an uplink status module to update the data describing operable connections based on statuses of respective operable connections contained in signals received from the members of the ring network;
• an uplink selection module to designate which operable connection will serve as an active uplink between the ring network and the external network based on statuses of the operable connections;
• and
• a network control module to periodically broadcast an identifier of the active uplink to members of the ring network.

A system, comprising:

• a set of enclosures organized as a ring network, where each enclosure comprises:
• a set of servers that perform services for an external network;
• and
• a network switch to transmit traffic between the servers, other enclosures, and the external network;
• and
• a processor running an uplink daemon, the uplink daemon to detect whether the enclosure has a respective operable connection to the external network, to broadcast status of the respective operable connection to other enclosures, and to selectively isolate the respective operable connection from other enclosures until receiving an instruction identifying the operable connection as an active uplink between the ring network and the external network;
• and
• a management daemon operating on a processor of an enclosure to maintain a list of enclosures with operable connections to the external network based on statuses received from uplink daemons, to designate an operable connection as the active uplink, and to broadcast the instruction identifying the operable connection as the active uplink.