Patent ID: 7477593

Claim:
A method for performing fast reroute (FRR) operations at the edge of a computer network, the network having first and second edge devices coupled to a neighboring routing domain, the method comprising: detecting a loss of communication between the first edge device and the neighboring routing domain; receiving a data packet at the first edge device, the received data packet containing a destination address that is reachable via the neighboring routing domain; determining whether the received data packet contains a FRR identifier value in at least one of its encapsulation headers, the FRR identifier value indicating that the received packet was previously rerouted in accordance with FRR operations; if the received data packet does not contain the FRR identifier value, rerouting the received data packet to the second edge device for forwarding to the neighboring routing domain; and if the received data packet does contain the FRR identifier value, dropping the received packet, to prevent loops from developing at the edge of the computer network.