System and method for providing unified IP presence

A first network element comprising:

• a first board;
• a first plurality of processors residing on the first board;
• a first traffic processor of the first plurality of processors configured to:
• create a first session object associated with a communication session between an end user terminal and an information provider, the first network element operating in an active mode, wherein the first network element and a second network element present a single network layer address to the end user terminal and the information provider;
• a portion of traffic associated with the communication session between the end user terminal and the information provider being routed through the first traffic processor of the first network element;
• determine, at the first network element, a specific traffic processor of a second plurality of processors to which to send a state synchronization message associated with the first session object, the second plurality of processors residing on a second board of a second network element operating in a standby mode;
• associate a transport layer address corresponding to the specific traffic processor of the second network element with the state synchronization message;
• and
• send the state synchronization message to a first processor of the second network element, the first processor forwarding the state synchronization message to the specific traffic processor based on the transport layer address, wherein the specific traffic processor creates a second session object in response to receiving the state synchronization message, wherein the second session object tracks the communication session between the end user terminal and the information provider.

A method comprising:

• receiving a state synchronization message by a network processor of a first network element operating in a standby mode, the state synchronization message including a transport layer address corresponding to a specific traffic processor of a first plurality of traffic processors residing on a first board of the first network element,
• the state synchronization message being received in response to a first traffic processor of a second plurality of processors residing on a second board of a second network element, operating in an active mode:
• creating a first session object associated with a communication session between an end user terminal and an information provider;
• associating the transport layer address corresponding to the specific traffic processor of the second network element with the state synchronization message;
• and
• sending the state synchronization message to the specific traffic processor;
• routing the state synchronization message to the specific traffic processor based upon the transport layer address;
• and
• creating, with the specific traffic processor, a second session object in response to receiving the state synchronization message, the second session object tracking the communication session between the end user terminal and the information provider.

A first network element comprising:

• a specific traffic processor of a plurality of traffic processors residing on a first board of the first network element;
• a network processor configured to:
• receive a state synchronization message, the first network element operating in a standby mode, wherein:
• the state synchronization message includes a transport layer address corresponding to a specific traffic processor of a plurality of traffic processors residing on a first board of the first network element,
• the state synchronization message is received in response to a second traffic processor of a second plurality of processors residing on a second board of a second network element operating in an active mode:
• creating a first session object associated with a communication session between an end user terminal and an information provider;
• wherein a portion of the traffic associated with the communication session is routed through the second traffic processor of the second network element;
• associating the transport layer address corresponding to the specific traffic processor of the first network element with the state synchronization message;
• and
• sending the state synchronization message associated with the first session object to the specific traffic processor;
• route the state synchronization message to the specific traffic processor based upon the transport layer address;
• and
• wherein the specific traffic processor is configured to:
• create a second session object in response to receiving the state synchronization message, the second session object tracking the communication session between the end user terminal and the information provider.