Patent ID: 7688819

Claim:
A data packet routing apparatus, comprising: a network interface that is configured to couple to a data network for receiving one or more packet flows therefrom; a processor that is communicatively coupled to the network interface; a transport layer protocol module that is accessible to the processor and which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to implement a transport layer network protocol; a routing protocol module that is accessible to the processor and which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to implement a network packet routing protocol in part by sending routing protocol messages to one or more peer devices over one or more connections that are established using the transport layer protocol module; one or more stored sequences of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform: providing a first routing protocol message to the transport layer protocol module that comprises urgent data at least in part; the routing protocol module requesting the transport layer protocol module to mark, as urgent, one or more segments that carry the first routing protocol message; marking, as urgent, the one or more segments that carry the first routing protocol message by setting an URG bit in a header of a particular one of the one or more segments, and setting an URGENT pointer in the header of the particular segment to specify an end of the urgent data; sending the one or more segments to one or more of the peer devices over the connections.