Incremental bus reconfiguration without bus resets

Claim 1

A node for use in an electronic system interconnect comprising: at least one port including a first port operative to transmit and receive data when electrically connected to another node; a first circuit coupled to the first port operative to detect when an electrical connection is made between the first port and a second node; and a second circuit coupled to the first port operative to detect how many ports are connected to transmit and receive data after the electrical connection is made between the first port and the second node, wherein the node is operative to initiate a new connect handshake with the second node by transmitting a first signal via the first port if the node has more than one connected port, the node being operative to wait for the second node to initiate the new connect handshake by transmitting the first signal to the node if the node has only one connected port, the node transmitting a reset request if the node and the second node contemporaneously assert the first signal, and wherein the node transmits a second signal in response to receiving the first signal, the second signal completing the new connect handshake, thereupon the second node is added to the interconnect without requiring a reset request by the first node, the second node being assigned a bus address after the assumption of a temporary address.