Patent ID: 7123620

Claim:
A method for routing a data packet through an explicit path in a data communication network, said data packet having an incoming global path identifier corresponding to said explicit path, said data communication network comprising a plurality of network nodes, each of said plurality of network nodes including a network device, said explicit path comprising a plurality of hops including a prior hop, a current hop, and a next hop, each of said plurality of hops being associated with one of said plurality of network nodes, the method comprising the steps of: receiving said data packet from said prior hop at said current hop in said network device; performing a look-up function into a forwarding table using an index based on said incoming global path identifier to determine a forwarding table entry related to said next hop to which said data packet should be forwarded; calculating an outgoing global path identifier for said data packet as a function of (1) said incoming global path identifier and (2) an identifier of said network device receiving said data packet at said current hop; and forwarding said data packet to said next hop.