Patent ID: 7433969

Claim:
A method for a network element comprising: maintaining, for network layer switched routes, interface structures each storing a set of network layer information; distributing each of the interface structures to a set of one or more of a plurality of routing protocol modules; maintaining a routing information base responsive to the plurality of routing protocol modules; distributing forwarding information bases (FIBs) including network layer information to each of a plurality of line cards; maintaining for each of a plurality of label switched paths (LSPs) a forwarding data structure that is separate from the interface structures and that does not include the set of network layer information; and selectively distributing different ones of the forwarding data structures to different ones of the plurality of line cards to establish label forwarding information bases (LFIBs) devoid of network layer information, wherein the LFIBs are separate from the FIBs, wherein each forwarding data structure is selectively distributed to only the one of the plurality of line cards that is an ingress roint into the network element for the LSP represented by that forwarding data structure.