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US 6,606,325 B1Granted
Fast path forwarding of link state advertisements using multicast addressing
AssigneeNortel Networks Limited
InventorBradley Cain
Life of this patent
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AssigneeNortel Networks Limited
InventorBradley Cain
Estimating the term…
A link state advertisement protocol message received from an originating device over an inbound interface is forwarded over the fast path according to a multicast distribution tree using a special multicast address. Specifically, a special multicast address is used for the link state advertisement protocol message. The special multicast address differentiates the link state advertisement protocol message from other protocol messages. A multicast routing protocol is used to establish a multicast distribution tree for distributing link state advertisement protocol messages based upon the special multicast address. The multicast distribution tree determines, among other things, the preferred inbound interface for the link state advertisement protocol message and any outbound interfaces to which the link state advertisement protocol message is to be forwarded. The link state advertisement protocol message is forwarded according to the multicast distribution tree. If the link state advertisement protocol message is received over the preferred inbound interface, then the link state advertisement protocol message is forwarded over the fast path to the outbound interface(s) as indicated by the multicast distribution tree. Otherwise, the link state advertisement protocol message is not forwarded over the fast path. The link state advertisement protocol message continues to be processed and forwarded by the control plane as usual for robustness.
A method for propagating link state advertisement protocol messages by a network device in a communication network, the network device having a plurality of interfaces, a fast path for forwarding protocol messages, and a control plane for processing protocol messages, the method comprising:
A device for propagating a link state advertisement protocol message in a communication network, the device comprising:
A program product comprising a computer readable medium having embodied therein a computer program for propagating a link state advertisement protocol message by a network device in a communication network, the network device having a plurality of interfaces, a fast path for forwarding protocol messages, and a control path for processing control messages, the computer program comprising:
In a communication system having a plurality of interconnected network devices, each network device having a plurality of interfaces, a fast path for forwarding protocol messages, and a control plane for processing protocol message, a method for propagating link state advertisement protocol messages, the method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.