Patent ID: 7206309
Filing Date: 2007-04-17
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for providing high availability packet forwarding, comprising: a service termination card having a packet forwarding engine for receiving and forwarding packets in accordance with a forwarding information base; a first control processor running a plurality of processes and communicatively coupled to the service termination card; a second control processor running, asynchronously with respect to the first control processor, a plurality of processes and communicatively coupled to the service termination card; a first forwarding information base on the service termination card having forwarding information maintained by the first control processor; a second forwarding information base on the service termination card having forwarding information maintained by the second control processor; a heartbeat monitor for detecting the integrity of processes running on the first and second control processors by sending a heartbeat inquiry message to each of the first and second control processors wherein the processes are selected from a table listing selected processes running on the first control processor and a table listing selected processes running on the second control processor; and means for the packet forwarding engine to forward packets in accordance with one of the first and second forwarding information bases depending on the integrity of the processes running on the respective first and second control.