Systems and methods for server and switch failover in a black core network

In a network in which a server is connected through a first and a second router to two separate networks, wherein the server is connected through a first link to the first router and through a second link to the second router, a method of recovering from loss of a link to one of the routers, the method comprising:

• establishing, in a bonding module, a server gateway for each link;
• selecting the first link as primary link and the second link as backup link;
• sending routing metric information out through the primary link and the backup link, wherein sending includes sending metric information indicating that the cost of routing through the primary link is less than the cost of routing through the backup link;
• receiving, from the first router, an indication that there is a link failure on the primary link;
• manipulating the server gateway for the second link to direct traffic for the primary link out the second link, wherein the second link becomes the new primary link;
• and
• sending routing metric information out through the new primary link to the second router.

A system comprising:

• a ciphertext network;
• a server, wherein the server includes a bonding module and a plurality of network interfaces;
• a plurality of encryptor devices;
• and
• one or more routers, wherein each router is connected through one or more of the server network interfaces to the server and through one or more encryptor devices to the ciphertext network;
• wherein the server establishes, in the bonding module, a server gateway for each server network interface, selects a first network interface as primary link and a second server network interface as backup link, and sends routing metric information out through the primary link and the backup link, wherein sending includes sending metric information indicating that the cost of routing through the primary link is less than the cost of routing through the backup link;
• wherein the server receives, from one of the one or more routers, an indication that there is a link failure on the primary link, manipulates the server gateway for the second server network interface to direct traffic for the primary link out the second server network interface, wherein the second link becomes the new primary link;
• and
• wherein the server sends routing metric information out through the new primary link to the second router.