Patent ID: 8817593

Claim:
A method comprising: learning, by a second network switch, first data associated with a third network switch wherein said second network switch and said third network switch operate concurrently and wherein said second network switch terminates a tunnel established between said second network switch and first access switch; notifying, by said second network switch, said first network switch of failover capability; learning, by said third network switch, second data associated with said second network switch; synchronizing said first and second data between said second network switch and said third network switch, wherein said data includes MAC Addresses, Internet Protocol (IP) interface addresses, Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) associations, tunnel assignments and network switch IP addresses; and load sharing tunnel data packets by said second network switch and said third network switch wherein when said third network switch receives tunnel data packets destined to said second network switch said third network switch acts as a tunnel endpoint and performs tunnel functions for said tunnel data packets; forwarding tunnel control packets received by said third network switch to said second network switch over an Inter Switch Trunk (IST); and detecting a failure relating to said second network switch wherein said detecting a failure relating to said second network switch further comprises performing recovery actions upon said detecting a failure and wherein said performing recovery actions comprises preserving, by said first network switch, tunnel forwarding states and continuing to forward tunnel traffic out the same interface using the same tunnel encapsulation for a predetermined amount of time.