Forwarding Data Path Optimization in a Distributed Environment for Achieving Micro-Mobility

A network comprising:

• a mobile node;
• and
• a network element comprising:
• a plurality of access ports,
• a set of one or more ingress engines, wherein one of the set of one or more ingress engines receives a mobility message indicating the mobile node has coupled to a new one of the plurality of access ports, wherein the mobility message further indicates that the mobile node moved from an old one of the plurality of access ports to the new access port, and
• a plurality of egress engines, wherein one of the plurality of egress engines that is associated with the old one of the plurality of access ports adds an entry in a forwarding table to redirect a set of packets destined to the mobile node to the new one of the plurality of egress engines, wherein the new one of the plurality of egress engines is associated with the new one of the plurality of access ports, and wherein the old one of the plurality of egress engines forwards the set of packets to the mobile node via the new one of the plurality of egress engines.

An apparatus comprising:

• means for receiving a mobility message indicating a mobile node has coupled to a new access port, wherein the mobility message further indicates that the mobile node moved from an old access port to the new access port, and wherein the network element comprises the old and new access port;
• means for adding an entry in a forwarding table associated with an old egress engine to redirect a set of packets destined to the mobile node to a new egress engine, wherein the new egress engine is associated with the new access port;
• and
• means for forwarding the set of packets to the mobile node from the old egress engine via the new egress engine.