Unicast addressing for redundant communication paths

In an example, a node in a network includes four ports coupled to respective nodes via respective links. A first port and a third port are coupled to respective nodes via respective near links and a second port and a fourth port are coupled to respective nodes via respective skip links. The node further includes at least one processor configured to send a first message in a first direction via the second port, and the first message includes a first destination address that corresponds to the second side of the node. The at least one processor is further configured to send a second message in a second direction via the fourth port, and the second message includes a second destination address that corresponds to the first side of the node.