Logical router comprising disaggregated network elements

A system comprising:

• a plurality of hardware disaggregated network elements coupled by a network and not coupled to one another by a common backplane of a chassis;
• and
• a hardware control element coupled to the plurality of hardware disaggregated network elements and programmed to configure to program the plurality of hardware disaggregated network elements to function as a single logical router, the hardware control element programmed to perform router state management in order to implement a chassis abstraction model with the single logical router such that the plurality of hardware disaggregated network elements function as the single logical router as if in a common chassis and coupled to the common backplane, the hardware control element hosting control planes for one or more routing protocols with data planes for the one or more routing protocols hosted on the plurality of hardware disaggregated network elements;
• wherein the hardware control element is a computer system external to the plurality of hardware disaggregated network elements.