A method performed within a network element, for directing traffic away from cards of a first virtual partition, before changing software (105; 107) on the cards of the first virtual partition, until after the cards of the first virtual partition have session data, and while the network element services sessions, the method comprising the steps of: redistributing sessions currently serviced by the cards of the first virtual partition of the network element, to cards of a second virtual partition of the network element, each of the first and the second virtual partitions having at least one control card and at least one line card; directing the traffic away from the cards of the first virtual partition, prior to taking the at least one line card of the first virtual partition offline, wherein directing the traffic away from the cards of the first virtual partition comprises influencing a routing protocol decision, and wherein of influencing the routing protocol decision comprises changing one or more routing protocol metrics to make a routing protocol metric corresponding to the cards of the first virtual partition inferior to a routing protocol metric corresponding to the cards of the second virtual partition; after the step of redistributing the sessions, from the cards of the first virtual partition to the cards of the second virtual partition, changing the software on, at least, the at least one line card of the first virtual partition, while the cards of the second virtual partition services sessions, including the sessions redistributed from the cards of the first virtual partition; and after the step of changing the software on the at least one line card of the first virtual partition, synchronizing session data, for sessions currently serviced by the cards of the second virtual partition, from the cards of the second virtual partition to the cards of the first virtual partition, wherein the step of directing the traffic away from the cards of the first virtual partition is performed before the step of changing the software on the at least one line card of the first virtual partition, and continues until after the step of synchronizing the session data from the cards of the second virtual partition to the cards of the first virtual partition redistributing sessions currently serviced by the cards of the first virtual partition of the network element, to cards of a second virtual partition of the network element, each of the first and the second virtual partitions having at least one control card and at least one line card; directing the traffic away from the cards of the first virtual partition, prior to taking the at least one line card of the first virtual partition offline, wherein directing the traffic away from the cards of the first virtual partition comprises influencing a routing protocol decision, and wherein of influencing the routing protocol decision comprises changing one or more routing protocol metrics to make a routing protocol metric corresponding to the cards of the first virtual partition inferior to a routing protocol metric corresponding to the cards of the second virtual partition; after the step of redistributing the sessions, from the cards of the first virtual partition to the cards of the second virtual partition, changing the software on, at least, the at least one line card of the first virtual partition, while the cards of the second virtual partition services sessions, including the sessions redistributed from the cards of the first virtual partition; and after the step of changing the software on the at least one line card of the first virtual partition, synchronizing session data, for sessions currently serviced by the cards of the second virtual partition, from the cards of the second virtual partition to the cards of the first virtual partition, wherein the step of directing the traffic away from the cards of the first virtual partition is performed before the step of changing the software on the at least one line card of the first virtual partition, and continues until after the step of synchronizing the session data from the cards of the second virtual partition to the cards of the first virtual partition