Safe start-up of a network

A method for start-up of a network, the network comprising a number of nodes, which are connected via channels, and wherein the nodes are able to exchange information in the form of messages via said channels,

• wherein
• the transition of a synchronizing node from its initial phase to a synchronized phase is separated in a so-called integration phase and a so-called cold-start phase, wherein the integration phase and the cold-start phase are executed in sequence in the same node,
• and wherein
• a) the synchronizing node in the integration phase is listening to messages being sent from nodes in the synchronized phase and wherein the synchronizing node reacts to an integration message (i-frame), which is instructing a node to change into the synchronized phase, only if said integration message is a valid message,
• and wherein
• b) said node in integration phase is capable of receiving a sequence of i-frames,
• and wherein
• c) a synchronizing node, in the case that integration of said synchronizing node to a set of already synchronized nodes was not successful after a specifiable period, changes into the cold-start phase, in which a cold-start procedure of the node is executed,
• and wherein
• d) in the cold-start phase said node does not react to integration messages (i-frames) of a node in the synchronized phase,
• and wherein
• e) in the cold-start phase said node is capable of triggering a transition back to the integration phase when an i-frame is received or after a number of unsuccessful coldstart attempts,
• and wherein
• f) in the cold-start phase said node is capable of counting the number of messages received per TDMA round.