Patent ID: 8208372

Claim:
A method for dynamically activating a secondary Traffic Engineering Label Switched Path (TE-LSP) at a secondary head-end node separate from a primary head-end node of a primary TE-LSP in a computer network, upon failure of the primary TE-LSP in the computer network, the method comprising: establishing the primary TE-LSP to have a primary bandwidth (BW) amount for supporting traffic, the primary TE-LSP extending from the primary head-end node to a primary tail-end node; receiving, by the secondary head-end node separate from the primary head-end node, a notification from the primary head-end node indicating characteristics of the primary TE-LSP, the characteristics including the primary BW amount; in response to receiving the notification, establishing the secondary TE-LSP to have zero BW for supporting traffic, the secondary TE-LSP extending from the secondary head-end node separate from the primary head-end node to a secondary tail-end node; monitoring, by the secondary head-end node, a state of the primary TE-LSP; determining a failure of the primary TE-LSP; in response to determining the failure of the primary TE-LSP, substantially immediately adjusting, by the secondary head-end node, the BW of the secondary TE-LSP to the primary BW amount indicated in the received notification in anticipation of traffic being redirected, and receiving redirected traffic at the secondary head-end node and passing the redirected traffic on the secondary TE-LSP whose BW has already been adjusted.