Patent ID: 7660314
Filing Date: 2010-02-09
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A router for interconnecting external devices coupled to said router, said router comprising: a switch fabric; a plurality of routing nodes coupled to said switch fabric, wherein each of said plurality of routing nodes is capable of exchanging data packets with said external devices and with other ones of said plurality of routing nodes via said switch fabric; and a first control processor associated with a first one of said plurality of routing nodes capable of generating a first refined redistribution metric associated with a first route in a routing table of said first routing node, wherein said first control processor generates said first refined redistribution metric based on a first default redistribution metric associated with a first routing protocol associated with said first route, wherein said first default redistribution metric is selected from a plurality of default redistribution metrics, each default redistribution metric having a value based upon a relative confidence level in an associated routing protocol, wherein said first control processor generates a second refined redistribution metric associated with a second route in said routing table of said first routing node, generates said second refined redistribution metric based on a second default redistribution metric associated with a second routing protocol associated with said second route, and distributes an advertised route metric derived from said selected one of said first and second refined redistribution metrics to said external devices.