Patent ID: 8885461

Claim:
A method in a first network element for Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) fast re-route using Label Distribution Protocol (LDP), wherein the first network element is one of a plurality of network elements in an MPLS network, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a first label advertised from a second network element in the MPLS network; computing a shortest path tree (SPT) to reach a destination network element under a selected failure condition that may potentially occur on the MPLS network, wherein the second network element is a nexthop of the first network element in the computed SPT and is not upstream from the selected failure condition in the computed SPT; determining that a third one of the plurality of network elements is a Point of Local Repair (PLR) when the selected failure condition is realized; distributing a second label to the third network element for a backup LDP label switched path (LSP) that will serve as a backup path when the selected failure condition is realized; and installing a swap action from the second label to the first label.