Next hop ingress protection of label switched paths

A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium that when executed by a processor causes a network device to perform the following:

• receive an ingress protection request message that identifies one or more network nodes along a primary label switched path (LSP);
• creating a backup LSP;
• generate a forwarding table that comprises one or more forwarding entries for the network nodes along the primary LSP and one or more forwarding entries for the backup LSP;
• receive data traffic from a first source path within a label switched network;
• send the data traffic from the first source path using the forwarding entries for the primary LSP;
• receive data traffic from a second source path when an ingress node fault in the first source path is present;
• and
• send the data traffic from the second source path using the forwarding entries for the backup LSP,
• wherein the forwarding entries along the primary LSP and the forwarding entries along the backup LSP comprise a status identifier that indicates an active state when a forwarding entry is being used and an inactive state when a forwarding entry is not being used, and wherein the network device is along the primary LSP.

An apparatus comprising:

• a receiver configured to receive an ingress protection message that identifies the apparatus as a backup ingress node and identifies one or more network nodes along a primary label switched path (LSP) and to receive data traffic;
• a processor coupled to a memory device and the receiver, wherein the memory device comprises computer executable instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium such that when executed by the processor causes the processor to:
• create a backup LSP;
• and
• generate a forwarding table that comprises one or more forwarding entries for the network nodes along the primary LSP and one or more forwarding entries for the network nodes along the backup LSP, wherein the forwarding entries along the backup LSP comprise a status identifier that indicates an active state when data traffic is being transmitted using the backup LSP and an inactive state when data traffic is not being transmitted using the backup LSP;
• and
• a transmitter coupled to the processor,
• wherein the transmitter is configured to communicate the data traffic, and
• wherein the apparatus is a member of the primary LSP.