Patent ID: 8014293
Filing Date: 2011-09-06
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: storing indirect next hop data within a router that associates protocol next hops with forwarding next hops, wherein each of the protocol next hops corresponds to an advertising router that advertised one or more routes in accordance with a routing protocol and identifies the advertising router as a next hop for the routes, wherein the forwarding next hops identify neighboring routers physically coupled to the router by communication links, and wherein the indirect next hop data is implemented in a data structure in which each entry is associated with a unique combination of a protocol next hop and a forwarding next hop and is addressable by a key constructed from protocol information associated with the routes; maintaining routing data within the router, wherein the routing data represents a network topology and includes route resolution nodes that resolve network destinations to entries within the indirect next hop data; traversing the route resolution nodes of the routing data in response to a network event to identify one or more affected protocol next hops; in response to the network event, modifying the indirect next hop data to associate the affected protocol next hops with a different forwarding next hop; and forwarding packets with the router using the modified indirect next hop data.