Patent ID: 8077604

Claim:
A system for forwarding packets received at a set of interfaces, the system comprising: a first router having a first processor and a first memory associated therewith, wherein the first memory and the first processor are adapted to run a first layer 2 spanning tree protocol only when the first router is operating in active mode and a first layer 3 protocol, the first memory storing a first database; and a second router having a second processor and a second memory associated therewith, wherein the second memory and the second processor are adapted to run a second layer 2 spanning tree protocol only when the second router is operating in the active mode and a second layer 3 protocol, the second memory storing a second database, wherein the second database is updated with updates received from the first router when the first router is operating in the active mode and the second router is operating in standby mode, wherein the updates include spanning tree updates; a first forwarding engine coupled to the first router, the first forwarding engine being associated with a first forwarding information for facilitating forwarding of packets in hardware; and a second forwarding engine coupled to the second router, the second forwarding engine being associated with a second forwarding information for facilitating forwarding of packets in hardware; wherein the first forwarding engine and the second forwarding engine obtain information from packets at the set of interfaces in order to update the first and second forwarding information; wherein the first forwarding information and second forwarding information are not transmitted between the first router and the second router; wherein the first forwarding information includes a first layer 2 table and the second forwarding information includes a second layer 2 table, wherein the first and second layer 2 tables associate one or more MAC addresses with the first router or the second router; wherein the first forwarding information further includes a first layer 3 table and the second forwarding information further includes a second layer 3 table, wherein the first and second layer 3 tables specify one or more shortcuts specifying layer 3 forwarding information, each one of the one or more shortcuts being associated with a flow associated with a source IP address and destination IP address, each of the first and second layer 2 tables enabling packets to be forwarded by a specified router when an entry specifying a particular flow is not stored in the corresponding one of the first and second layer 3 tables; wherein when the second router is operating in active mode, the first router is operating in standby mode; wherein when the first router is operating in active mode, the second router is operating in standby mode; wherein the first router and the second router share the set of interfaces.