Patent ID: 7817541
Filing Date: 2010-10-19
Classification: H04L,H04Q

Abstract:
1. A network device comprising: a controller residing on a data forwarding element (DFE), the DFE performing data forwarding operations; a first and a second control processor, each of the control processors having either an active role or a standby role with respect to the DFE controller, the active-role control processor communicating with the DFE to configure the DFE forwarding operations and receiving at least some communications from the DFE controller over a virtual channel, wherein the DFE controller directs virtual channel traffic to the appropriate control processor based on which of the control processors currently has the active role, rather than to a specified one of the control processors; and a control plane comprising: an first layer- a second layer- a first path from the DFE controller to the first control processor that traverses the first layer- a second path from the DFE controller to the second control processor that traverses the second layer-