Patent ID: 8358576

Claim:
A method comprising: identifying, by a network device, for a connection having a first path traversing a plurality of nodes from an ingress node to an egress node, a start node and an end node from the plurality of nodes, wherein the end node is downstream to the start node in the first path; and determining, by the network device, a second path from the start node to the end node; wherein the determining comprises: identifying a first list of nodes comprising nodes in the first path that are upstream from the start node; and performing processing to ensure that the second path does not traverse a path from a first node in the first list to a second node in the first list wherein the second node is downstream from the first node in the first path; wherein performing processing comprises: determining if a first candidate node identified for inclusion in the second path is included in a second list of nodes; rejecting the first candidate node as a node for the second path upon determining that the first candidate node is included in the second list of nodes; and including the first candidate node as a node in the second path upon determining that the first candidate node is not included in the second list of nodes.