Patent ID: 7903651

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for use in a data forwarding node including stored label information, the computer-implemented method comprising: generating and maintaining, with a control component of the data forwarding node, forwarding information based on the stored label information; forwarding, with a forwarding component of the data forwarding node, information along a switched path based, at least in part, on the forwarding information, wherein the data forwarding node will attempt to preserve forwarding information across the restart of the control component, and belongs to a switched path; generating a message indicating that the data forwarding node will attempt to preserve forwarding information across the restart of the control component; forwarding the message to at least one other node that belongs to the switched path; tracking, using a timer, a time that the data forwarding node will keep and use any preserved forwarding information after the restart of the control component; indicating whether or not an entry of forwarding information was preserved across the restart of the control component; and deleting, responsive to an expiration of the timer, any entries in the forwarding information that are indicated as being preserved across the restart of the control component.