Dual-homed external network access in a distributed internet protocol (IP) router

A computer program product for operating a virtual forwarding unit of a virtual edge router, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing programming that includes instructions to:

• receive a packet on a local area network (LAN) interface of a local host device in the virtual edge router;
• search a routing table to identify a remote outgoing interface associated with a destination address of the packet, wherein the destination address of the packet corresponds to an external destination in a private network, and wherein the remote outgoing interface interconnects the private network to a remote host device of the virtual edge router;
• determine whether the destination address that is associated with the remote outgoing interface is also associated with a local outgoing interface of the local host device after identifying the remote outgoing interface associated with the destination address;
• and
• forward the packet over the local outgoing interface of the local host device without forwarding the packet to the remote outgoing interface when the destination address is associated with both the local outgoing interface of the local host device and the remote outgoing interface.

A method for expedited private network re-routing in a virtual edge router, the method comprising:

• receiving a packet on a local area network (LAN) interface of a local host device in the virtual edge router;
• searching a routing table to identify a remote internal interface associated with a destination address of the packet, wherein the remote internal interface is a port on a remote host device of the virtual edge router, and wherein a data tunnel interconnects a wide area network (WAN) interface of the local host device to a WAN interface of the remote host device, the data tunnel extending through a public network;
• determining, by the local host device, whether to re-route the packet over a private network according to a flag in a routing table, the flag being set or cleared by a virtual controller of the virtual edge router, the virtual controller being separate and distinct from the local host device, wherein the private network is interconnected to the remote host device via a remote outgoing interface and to the local host device via a local outgoing interface;
• and
• forwarding the packet over the local outgoing interface when determining to reroute the packet over the private network.