Techniques for a node in a wireless network to process packets are disclosed. An example method includes registering with a network-management system in the network to become a node in the network, determining neighboring nodes, sending a link-state advertisement to the network-management system, the link-state packets providing its neighboring relationships, processing the packets using switching rules for a tree switching network portion of the network, the switching rules defining at least one of (1) an ingress link to a parent node and (2) egress links to child nodes, determining if a wireless link to a neighboring node has failed, and when a wireless link to a neighboring node has failed, informing a node at the end of an ingress wireless link and the network-management system of the failed link.