Patent ID: 7826482

Claim:
A method for forwarding network traffic in a network, comprising: receiving, at a router, a control plane message for constructing a first label switched path (LSP) to a destination within a network, wherein the first LSP conforms to a first type of LSP, and wherein the control plane message includes a label (L 1 ) for the first LSP and an identifier (I 1 ) that identifies a first type of data traffic; receiving, at the router, a second control plane message for constructing a second LSP within the network to the destination, wherein the second LSP conforms to the first type of LSP, and wherein the second control plane message includes a label (L 2 ) for the second LSP and an identifier (I 2 ) that identifies a second type of data traffic; installing forwarding state in accordance with policies that associate the first type of data traffic and the second type of data traffic with different LSPs of a second type that each traverse different paths through the network to associate the labels for the LSPs of the first type with respective LSPs of the second type such that, in accordance with the policies, each of the LSPs of the first type is tunneled over the respective LSPs of the second type so that the first type of data traffic and the second type of data traffic will travel over the respective LSPs of the second type; and forwarding packets in accordance with the installed forwarding state.