Patent ID: 8769154
Filing Date: 2014-07-01
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for facilitating routing protocol redundancy in a network element, comprising: adding an additional routing module to the network element, wherein the network element includes an existing routing module having an existing collection of routing protocol information associated therewith; and synchronizing a higher layer protocol task of the additional routing module with a higher layer protocol task of the existing routing module in response to adding the additional routing module, wherein the additional routing module performs a lower layer protocol task of the additional routing module and the existing routing module performs a lower layer protocol task of the existing routing module, wherein the lower layer protocol task of the additional routing module is of a lower layer than the higher layer protocol task of the additional routing module and the lower layer protocol task of the existing routing module is of a lower layer than the higher layer protocol task of the existing routing module; and maintaining the higher layer protocol task of the additional routing module at least one higher layer protocol packet behind the higher layer protocol task of the existing routing module such that the higher layer protocol task of the additional routing module processes a particular higher layer protocol packet after the existing routing module processes the particular higher layer protocol packet.