Abstract: In certain embodiments of the present invention, each of a plurality of switches in a network can independently develop an equivalent set of network attributes without referring to the network's topology. An equivalent set of network attributes can define the entire network's topology. Each switch can also independently maintain its respective equivalent set of network attributes to reflect changes in the network's topology. As with developing a set of attributes, each switch can maintain its set of attributes without actually referring to the network's topology.

Abstract: A master node in a network reports a spanning tree to a distributed dictionary. A plurality of nodes comprising a network including the master node access the distributed dictionary to adopt the spanning tree. The spanning tree is adopted in a coordinated manner to avoid potential transient topology loops in the network. In one embodiment, adopting the spanning tree in a coordinated manner involves disabling all links in the node that are to be disabled prior to enabling new links.