RECONFIGURABLE COMPUTER NETWORKS

A COMPUTER NETWORK IS CONFIGURED TO ALLOW ADDITION, DELETION AND MOVEMENT OF NETWORKED OBJECTS WITHIN THE NETWORK, WHICH INCLUDES A CONFIGURABLE ROUTER AND A PLURALITY OF NETWORKED OBJECTS, EACH LOCATED AT A NETWORK NODE IN THE NETWORK. CONFIGURATION OF THE NETWORK INCLUDES THE STEPS OF: @(A) PROVIDING A POINT-TO-POINT LINK BETWEEN THE CONFIGURABLE ROUTER AND EACH NETWORK NODE;@(B) ASSIGNING A POINT-TO-POINT LINK IDENTIFIER TO EACH OF THE POINT-TO-POINT LINKS;@(C) OBTAINING FOR EACH NETWORKED OBJECT A LINK LAYER IDENTIFIER;@(D) RECEIVING AT THE CONFIGURABLE ROUTER COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE NETWORKED OBJECTS, THE SOURCE OF EACH COMMUNICATION BEING DETERMINABLE BY REFERENCE TO AN IDENTIFIER PAIR CONSISTING OF A POINT-TO-POINT LINK IDENTIFIER AND A LINK LAYER IDENTIFIER ASSOCIATED WITH THE COMMUNICATION;@(E) RECEIVING AT THE CONFIGURABLE ROUTER COMMUNICATIONS INTENDED FOR INDIVIDUAL NETWORKED OBJECTS, THE DESTINATION FOR EACH COMMUNICATION BEING DETERMINABLE BY REFERENCE TO AN IDENTIFIER PAIR CONSISTING OF A POINT-TO-POINT LINK IDENTIFIER AND A LINK LAYER IDENTIFIER OBTAINED BY TRANSLATING A NETWORK ADDRESS ASSOCIATED WITH THE COMMUNICATION; AND@(F) DETECTING THE ADDITION OR DELETION OF A NETWORKED OBJECT FROM THE NETWORK, OR THE MOVEMENT OF A NETWORKED OBJECT FROM ONE POINT-TO-POINT LINK TO ANOTHER BY DETECTING AT THE CONFIGURABLE ROUTER DISCREPENCIES BETWEEN IDENTIFIER PAIRS ASSOCIATED WITH CURRENT COMMUNICATIONS AND IDENTIFIER PAIRS ASSOCIATED WITH PREVIOUS COMMUNICATIONS, AND/OR BY DETECTING NON-RECEIPT OF COMMUNICATIONS.