Method for determining topology of a network

A system (222) that monitors neighbor information frames (NIFs) sent by each station (114, 118, 120, 122) within a Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) network (102) to determine the logical map of the network. After monitoring the NIFs for a period of time sufficient for all stations to have sent a NIF, the system builds and displays a data structure (Fig. 5) containing the logical connections. If the system finds a missing connection within the network, it builds a gap structure within the data structure to display the missing connection. The system also sends a request to all stations on the network for station management information. After receiving this information from each station, the system builds and displays a data structure (Fig. 13) containing the physical connections between each of the stations within the network.