  In this paper the collective dynamics of $N$-coupled piecewise linear (PWL)
systems with different number of scrolls and coupled in a master-slave sequence
configuration is studied, i.e. a ring connection with unidirectional links.
Itinerary synchronization is proposed to detect synchrony behavior with systems
that can present generalized multistability. Itinerary synchronization consists
in analyzing the symbolic dynamics of the systems by assigning different
numbers to the regions where the scrolls are generated. It is shown that in
certain parameter regimes if the inner connection between nodes is given by
means of considering all the state variables of the system, then itinerary
synchronization occurs and the coordinate motion is determined by the node with
the smallest number of scrolls. Thus the collective behavior in all the nodes
of the network is determined by the node with least scrolls in its attractor
leading to generalized multistability phenomena which can be detected via
itinerary synchronization. Results about attacks to the network are also
presented, for example, when the PWL system is attacked by removing a given
link to produce an open ring configuration. Depending on the inner connection
properties, the nodes present multistability or preservation in the number of
scrolls of the attractors.
