Methods and apparatus for verifying--in a network comprised of LANs and bridges connected to LANs, in which the bridges associate the LANs with LAN numbers--that bridges connected to a given LAN have been configured with the same LAN number for that LAN. A first bridge encodes the LAN number configured for the given LAN into a LAN number verification message and transmits the message to a second bridge connected to the LAN. The second bridge then compares the LAN number encoded in the received LAN number verification message to the LAN number configured for the LAN at the second bridge. A bridge which performs this method includes storage for associating the LANs connected to the bridge with LAN numbers, an encoder for encoding the LAN number for a given LAN into a LAN number verification message, and a transmitter for transmitting the LAN number verification message onto the given LAN.