Patent ID: 7277383

Claim:
A parallel router comprising: a plurality of routing nodes, each of said plurality of routing nodes capable of receiving message packets from and transmitting message packets to external devices, wherein said each of said plurality of routing nodes maintains a routing table suitable for routing message packets from transmitting ones of said plurality of routing nodes to receiving ones of said plurality of routing nodes; and a switch fabric capable of transmitting said messages packets between said transmitting nodes and said receiving nodes, wherein: a designated one of said plurality of routing nodes is operable to transmit to at least one non-designated one of said plurality of routing nodes a hello request message operable to cause said non-designated routing node to transmit back a hello acknowledgment message; said designated routing node monitors a time duration between transmission of said hello request message and receipt of said hello acknowledgment message to determine if said non-designated routing node has failed; and a first one of said plurality of routing nodes is capable of transmitting to a second one of said plurality of routing nodes a hello packet comprising information identifying said designated one of said plurality of routing nodes and a backup designated one of said plurality of routing nodes.