Patent ID: 8432909

Claim:
A method for using a link management interface to distribute routing, topology, reachability, and recovery information in a communications network, comprising: given a link management protocol message configured for exchange over a local link management interface, adding one or more extension fields to the link management protocol message, the one or more extension fields related to one or more of routing, topology, reachability, and recovery information; exchanging the link management protocol message and the one or more extension fields between neighboring nodes over the local link management interface such that the routing, topology, reachability, and recovery information is not exchanged between the neighboring nodes via a routing protocol comprising open shortest path first; and operating the communications network utilizing the link management protocol message for routing, topology, reachability, and recovery information instead of utilizing the routing protocol therefor, wherein the communications network utilizes periodic link management protocol messages between neighboring nodes verifying link connectivity in the communications network without flooding advertisements for routing, topology, reachability, and recovery information; wherein the link management protocol message is configured to exchange information only over a local link with the one or more extension fields comprising topology information of the communications network including network type, a list of all nodes in the communications network, and costs or weights between the nodes.