A method that rapidly reconfigures a
computer network having a plurality of devices executing the
spanning tree algorithm. First, one or more devices are configured and arranged so that one port, providing
connectivity to the root, is in the forwarding state and the remaining ports, providing
connectivity to the root, are in the blocked state. Next, one or more of the blocked ports are designated as back-up ports. Upon detection of a failure at the active forwarding port, one of the back-up ports immediately transitions from blocked to forwarding, thereby becoming the new active port for the device. Following the transition to a new active port, dummy
multicast messages are transmitted, each containing the
source address of an entity directly coupled to the affected device or downstream thereof. By examining the dummy
multicast messages, other devices in the network learn to use to the new forwarding port of the affected device. Rapid reconfiguration of the network is also provided upon detection of a new or repaired link or device representing a better path toward the root. The method is also compatible with networks supporting virtual
local area network (VLAN) designations and allows load balancing among different VLANs.