Distributed routing architecture

A system for routing packets in hierarchy of physical routing components having a first and second level of physical routing components, the system comprising:

• a data store for maintaining forwarding information for routing data packets addressed to destination addresses within a set of network addresses, wherein the set of network addresses are expressed in a network address format;
• one or more processors configured with specific computer-executable instructions to:
• assign physical routing components of the second level to subsets of the set of network addresses, wherein the subsets are defined according to a first part of the network address format;
• transmit to physical routing components of the first level information identifying assignment of the physical routing components within the second level to the subsets of the set of network addresses, wherein the physical routing components within the first level are configured to route the data packets to the physical routing components of the second level based on inspecting a section of the destination addresses corresponding to the first part of the network address format;
• partition the forwarding information into sections according to the assignment of the physical routing components within the second level to the subsets of the set of network addresses;
• and
• distribute to the physical routing components of the second level the respective sections of the forwarding information that pertain to their assigned subsets of the set of network addresses.

In a hierarchy of physical routing components having a first and second level of physical routing components, a computer-implemented method for managing routing of data packets comprising:

• obtaining forwarding information for routing data packets addressed to destination addresses within a set of network addresses, wherein the set of network addresses are expressed in a network address format;
• assigning physical routing components of the second level to subsets of the set of network addresses, wherein the subsets are defined according to a first part of the network address format;
• transmitting to the physical routing components of the first level information identifying assignment of the physical routing components within the second level to the subsets of the set of network addresses, wherein the physical routing components within the first level are configured to route the data packets to the physical routing components of the second level based on inspecting a section of the destination addresses corresponding to the first part of the network address format;
• and
• distributing to physical routing components of the second level sections of the forwarding information that pertain to their assigned subsets of the set of network addresses.

Non-transitory computer-readable storage media including computer-executable instructions for managing routing in hierarchy of physical routing components having a first and second level of physical routing components, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

• assign physical routing components within the second level to subsets of a set of network addresses expressible in a network address format, wherein the subsets are defined according to a first part of the network address format;
• transmit, to the physical routing components of the first level, information identifying assignment of the physical routing components within the second level to the subsets of the set of network addresses, wherein physical routing components within the first level are configured to route the data packets to the physical routing components of the second level based on inspecting a section of the destination addresses corresponding to the first part of the network address format;
• and
• distribute, to the physical routing components of the second level, respective sections of forwarding information for routing data packets addressed to destination addresses within a set of network addresses, the respective sections including forwarding information that pertains to the subsets of the set of network addresses assigned to the physical routing components.