Patent ID: 8254396
Filing Date: 2012-08-28
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. An electronic data processing apparatus configured for forwarding data packets in a packet-switched network, the apparatus comprising: one or more processors; one or more interfaces that are communicatively coupled to the processors and to one or more other devices in the packet-switched network; one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media that are communicatively coupled to the one or more processors; one or more first sequences of instructions recorded on the computer-readable media which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to interact with the other devices according to Border Gateway Protocol; one or more second sequences of instructions recorded on the computer-readable media which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform: receiving update messages to update routing information for the one or more other devices, wherein each of the update messages includes a checkpoint marker and a route; storing the route in a checkpoint repository; storing the checkpoint markers in association with information identifying the other routers from which the checkpoint markers were received; and in response to a restart event on a restarting device, retrieving one or more checkpointed routes from the checkpoint repository on the restarting device, installing the retrieved checkpointed routes in a forwarding information base, sending each of the stored checkpoint markers to respective other devices, and receiving from the respective other devices only route updates that occurred later in time than the checkpoint markers if new checkpoint markers included in the route updates do not indicate an error, but otherwise purging all routes received from a particular other device that sent a new checkpoint marker which indicated the error; wherein the checkpoint marker identifies a sequence number for a most recently received update message from a peer indicated by a router identifier.