Index: source/ariba/communication/BaseCommunication.cpp
===================================================================
--- source/ariba/communication/BaseCommunication.cpp	(revision 5464)
+++ source/ariba/communication/BaseCommunication.cpp	(revision 5485)
@@ -55,6 +55,4 @@
 
 use_logging_cpp(BaseCommunication);
-const BaseCommunication::LinkDescriptor
-	BaseCommunication::LinkDescriptor::UNSPECIFIED;
 
 BaseCommunication::BaseCommunication() {
@@ -501,5 +499,8 @@
 	for (int i=0; i<linkSet.size();i++)
 		if (linkSet[i]->localLink == link) return (LinkDescriptor&)*linkSet[i];
-	return (LinkDescriptor&)LinkDescriptor::UNSPECIFIED;
+
+	LinkDescriptor ret;
+	ret.unspecified = true;
+	return ret;
 }
 
@@ -508,5 +509,8 @@
 	for (int i=0; i<linkSet.size();i++)
 		if (linkSet[i]->remoteLink == link) return (LinkDescriptor&)*linkSet[i];
-	return (LinkDescriptor&)LinkDescriptor::UNSPECIFIED;
+
+	LinkDescriptor ret;
+	ret.unspecified = true;
+	return ret;
 }
 
Index: source/ariba/communication/BaseCommunication.h
===================================================================
--- source/ariba/communication/BaseCommunication.h	(revision 5464)
+++ source/ariba/communication/BaseCommunication.h	(revision 5485)
@@ -229,5 +229,4 @@
 	class LinkDescriptor {
 	public:
-		static const LinkDescriptor UNSPECIFIED;
 
 		/// default constructor
@@ -235,5 +234,5 @@
 			localLink(LinkID::UNSPECIFIED), localLocator(NULL),
 			remoteLink(LinkID::UNSPECIFIED), remoteLocator(NULL),
-			remoteEndpoint(EndpointDescriptor::UNSPECIFIED), up(false) {
+			remoteEndpoint(EndpointDescriptor::UNSPECIFIED), up(false), unspecified(false) {
 		}
 
@@ -243,8 +242,9 @@
 		}
 
-		/// returns true if this is the UNSPECIFIED object
 		bool isUnspecified() const {
-			return this == &UNSPECIFIED;
+			return unspecified;
 		}
+
+		bool unspecified;
 
 		/// link identifiers
@@ -288,4 +288,5 @@
 	NetworkChangeDetection networkMonitor;
 #endif
+
 	/// event listener
 	typedef set<CommunicationEvents*> EventListenerSet;