System for configuring switches in a network

A network comprising:

• an enumerating endpoint device
• a plurality of switches, each switch having a plurality of I/O ports and at least one routing table, where the enumerating endpoint device is connected to at least one of the plurality of switches;
• a plurality of endpoint devices connected to the plurality of switches;
• where the enumerating endpoint device updates the routing tables of each of the switches upon detection of an endpoint device based on whether the switch is on path with respect to the detected endpoint device or off path with respect to the detected endpoint device, where a switch is treated by the enumerating endpoint device as an on path switch with respect to the endpoint device if the switch is in a communication path between the enumerating endpoint device and the endpoint device when the endpoint device is initially detected by the enumerating endpoint device, and where a switch is treated by the enumerating endpoint device as an off path switch with respect to the endpoint device if the switch is not in a communication path between the enumerating endpoint device and the endpoint device when the endpoint device is initially detected by the enumerating endpoint device;
• and
• where the routing table of each off path switch is configured by the enumerating endpoint device so that communications for the detected endpoint device are routed through the port of the off path switch that the off path switch uses for communications with the enumerating endpoint device, and where the routing table of each on path switch is configured by the enumerating endpoint device so that communications for the detected endpoint device are routed through the port of the on path switch at which the enumerating endpoint device detected the detected endpoint device.

A network comprising:

• a plurality of endpoint devices;
• a plurality of switches, each switch having a plurality of I/O ports, each I/O port having at least one routing table;
• an enumerating endpoint device connected to a port on at least one of the plurality of switches, where the enumerating endpoint device responds to detection of an endpoint device by updating the routing tables of each of the plurality of switches, and where the routing table of an on path switch is updated so that communications with the detected endpoint device are routed to the port of the on path switch at which the detected endpoint device was discovered by the enumerating endpoint device, and where the routing table of an off path switch is updated so that communications with the detected endpoint device are routed through the port of the off path switch that the off path switch uses to communicate with the enumerating endpoint device;
• and
• where a switch is treated by the enumerating endpoint device as an on path switch with respect to the detected endpoint device if the switch is in a communication path between the enumerating endpoint device and the detected endpoint device when an effective endpoint device is initially detected by the enumerating endpoint device, and where a switch is treated by the enumerating endpoint device as an off path switch with respect to the detected endpoint device if the switch is not in a communication path between the enumerating endpoint device and the endpoint device when the endpoint device is initially detected by the enumerating endpoint device.

In a network having an enumerating endpoint device and an endpoint device that is detected by the enumerating endpoint device, a switching structure comprising:

• a plurality of multiple port switches that are on path with the detected endpoint device, each of the on path switches configured by the enumerating endpoint device for routing communications for the detected endpoint device to the port of the on path switch at which the detected endpoint device was discovered by the enumerating endpoint device;
• and
• a plurality of multiple port switches that are off path to the detected endpoint device, where the off path switches are configured by the enumerating endpoint device to route network communications to an on path switch to the port of the off path switch that the off path switch uses to communicate with the enumerating endpoint device;
• and
• where a multiple port switch is treated by the enumerating endpoint device as an on path multiple port switch with respect to the detected endpoint device if the multiple port switch is in a communication path between the enumerating endpoint device and the detected endpoint device when the detected endpoint device is initially detected by the enumerating endpoint device, and where a multiple port switch is treated by the enumerating endpoint device as an off path multiple port switch with respect to the detected endpoint device if the multiple port switch is not in a communication path between the enumerating endpoint device and the detected endpoint device when the endpoint device is initially detected by the enumerating endpoint device.