Abstract: A method of installing a network device in a packet-based data communication network and checking the authenticity of the installation includes: (a) communicating identification information of the device to a management system; (b) installing the device; (c) obtaining from a protocol address administrator a protocol address for the device; (d) sending a communication from the device to the management system; (e) conducting a key agreement protocol exchange between the device and the management system to establish a set of encryption keys; (f) using the set of encryption keys to provide mutual authentication by the device and the management system; (g) associating, within the management system, the time of the communication in step (d) with the identification information and the protocol address of the device; and (h) communicating from the management system to the administrator a message including the identification information, the protocol address and the time.

Abstract: A trunk connection to a stack of network switches is coupled to physical ports distributed among the switches. A switch has an internal logical port for a protocol engine. A packet received by way of the trunk at a port on a switch which does not host the protocol engine is sent over a cascade connection to the host switch with a tag that is interpreted within the host switch as if the packet cam from the logical port. The tagging and interpretation distinguishes between packets which might or might not be intended for the protocol engine and did not arrive by way of the trunk from packets which are intended for the protocol engine and have been received by way of the trunk.