BFD rate-limiting and automatic session activation

A computer-readable memory encoded with a computer program for a network node operable to:

• track a total bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) packet rate for a line card (LC) of the network node;
• reject operations associated with creation of a new BFD session that would cause the total BFD packet rate to exceed a predetermined maximum rate, the new BFD session being stored in a state on the network node;
• and
• retry the operations of the new BFD session at a time when packet-per-second (pps) resources become available such that the operations would not exceed the predetermined maximum rate.

A method comprising:

• negotiating parameters associated with creation of a bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) session on a network node, the parameters including a packet per second (pps) rate;
• rejecting operations associated with the BFD session that would cause a total BFD pps rate for a line card (LC) of the network node to exceed a predetermined maximum pps rate of a hardware policer device of the node;
• maintaining the BFD session in a de-activated state on the node;
• automatically activating the BFD session when doing so would not exceed the predetermined maximum pps rate.

A network node comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a device configured to deliver bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) packets to the processor when an incoming rate or the BFD packets is less than a predetermined maximum rate;
• the processor being configured to reject operations associated with a new BFD session that would cause a total BFD packet rate to exceed the predetermined maximum rate, the new BFD session being maintained on the node and the operations being automatically retried when doing so would not exceed the predetermined maximum packet rate.

A computer-readable memory encoded with a computer program for a network node operable to:

• track a total bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) packet rate for a line card (LC) of the network node;
• temporarily reject any BFD session operations that would cause the total BFD packet rate to exceed a predetermined rate limit of a policer device associated with the network node, the temporarily rejected BFD session operations being stored on the network node;
• and
• automatically retry the BFD session operations stored on the network node at when doing so would not exceed the predetermined rate limit.