Bridged network stations location revision

A method for managing end stations locations in a bridged network, comprising:

• providing one or more smart bridges;
• performing in each of the smart bridges an end stations locations revision which manages a host location (HLOC) table he end stations locations revision being invoked upon detecting changes in any end station location in order to prevent different smart bridges from using different end stations locations for a same end station that changed its location;
• and
• wherein the end stations locations revision in any of the smart bridges exchanges location revision packets with other smart bridges in the bridged network according to a respective location revision grandparent (LRG), a respective location revision child (LRC) table and a location revision wavefront distribution protocol.

A method for managing end stations locations in a bridged network, comprising:

• providing one or more smart bridges;
• performing in each of the smart bridges an end stations locations revision which manages a host location (LOC) table, the end stations locations revision being invoked upon detecting changes in any end station location in order to prevent different smart bridges from using different end stations locations for a same end station that changed its location;
• and
• wherein a location revision wavefront starts at a root of a location revision spanning tree (LRST) over a topology of the bridged network, for any location revision wavefront each of the smart bridges being ahead, on or behind the location revision wavefront.

A bridged network, comprising

• one or more smart bridges configured to manage end stations locations in a bridged network, each of the smart bridges comprising:
• a location revision module configured to exchange location rein packets with other bridges according to a location revision grandfather (LRG), a location revision child (LRC) table and a location revision wavefront distribution protocol, the location revision module inserting new host location information into a host location (HLOC) table;
• and
• a communications operation module configured to check and forward packets;
• the communications operation module invoking the location revision module to update host locations upon detecting a change in the host locations.