Patent ID: 7852778
Filing Date: 2010-12-14
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of verifying connectivity of paths through a computer network containing a plurality of network devices, the method comprising: using a Label Switched Path (LSP) Ping protocol of a first one of the network devices to send an exploration packet to learn packet header information that will cause packets conforming to the LSP Ping protocol and packets conforming to a Bidirectional Forwarding Detection protocol to traverse individual paths in a set of paths through a computer network, wherein the exploration packet specifies a set of variable information of a packet header in accordance with the Bidirectional Forwarding Detection protocol; receiving the exploration packet with a second one of the network devices; generating, with the second one of the network devices, the packet header information to include a subset of the set of variable information for the BFD protocol, wherein the subset of variable information is associated with a path from the first network device to a third one of the network devices immediately downstream to the second network device; sending the subset of variable information for the BFD protocol from the second one of the network devices to the first network device in an exploration response packet in accordance with the LSP Ping protocol; and outputting packets, with the first network device, according to the Bidirectional Forwarding Detection protocol at a first rate in accordance with the learned packet header information to perform a first verification of a status of each of the paths.