Patent ID: 7315900

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving data packets from a plurality of links in one or more interface cards of a network device according to a multi-link protocol that allows multiple physical links to be treated by the network device as a single logical link; prior to sequencing the data packets in the network device, performing a first routing operation to forward the data packets from the one or more interface cards to a multi-link service card of the network device in accordance with routing information that reflects a topology of a computer network, wherein the routing information identifies the multi-link service card as a destination for the data packets; sequencing the data packets with the multi-link service card of the network device according to the multi-link protocol, wherein the multi-link service card of the network device facilitates support of the multi-link protocol by the network device; and performing a second routing operation in accordance with the routing information to forward the sequenced data packets to the interface cards of the network device for communication over the computer network.