1. A method for discovering a conceptual ring topology of a protection domain in a network comprising: determining which devices are within a protection domain in a network, the protection domain protecting a group of one or more data carrying virtual local area networks (data VLANs) from unnecessary transmission of data within the data VLANs; identifying which ports on the devices are configured to participate in the protection domain; discovering links underlying the protection domain starting at an arbitrary one of the ports configured to participate in the protection domain; and determining whether a topology of the links underlying the protection domain form a ring, including: determining that each of the identified ports is accounted for in the discovered links after traversing all of the ports configured to participate in the domain in the devices within the domain.