Patent ID: 7890662

Claim:
A method comprising: creating a first session object by a first traffic processor of a first plurality of processors of a first network element operating in an active mode, the first session object associated with a communication session between an end user terminal and an information provider, wherein the first network element and a second network element present a single network layer address to the end user terminal and the information provider; the first plurality of processors residing on a first board of the first network element; a portion of traffic associated with the communication session between the end user terminal and the information provider being routed through the first traffic processor of the first network element; determining, at the first network element, a specific traffic processor of a second plurality of processors to which to send a state synchronization message associated with the first session object, the second plurality of processors residing on a second board of the second network element operating in a standby mode; associating a transport layer address corresponding to the specific traffic processor of the second network element with the state synchronization message; sending the state synchronization message to a first processor of the second network element, the first processor forwarding the state synchronization message to the specific traffic processor based on the transport layer address, wherein the specific traffic processor creates a second session object in response to receiving the state synchronization message, wherein the second session object tracks the communication session between the end user terminal and the information provider.