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A protocol and algorithm are given in which bridges in an extended Local Area Network of arbitrary topology compute, in a distributed fashion, an acyclic spanning subset of the network. The algorithm converges in time proportional to the diameter of the extended LAN, and requires a very small amount of memory per bridge, and communications bandwidth per LAN, independent of the total number of bridges or the total number of links in the network. Algorhyme I think that I shall never see A graph more lovely than a tree. A tree whose crucial property Is loop-free connectivity. A tree which must be sure to span So packets can reach every LAN. First the Root must be selected By ID it is elected. Least cost paths from Root are traced. In the tree these paths are placed. A mesh is made by folks like me Then bridges find a spanning tree.
Radia Perlman (1985) studied this question.