Patent ID: 8233395

Claim:
A route reflector in a packet-switched communication system, comprising: a controller to receive a first routing advertisement providing a proposed routing update associated with a virtual private network, the controller to determine whether the proposed routing update is appropriate for a plurality of provider edge routers and to generate a plurality of substitute routing advertisements providing different routing updates from the proposed routing update for respective ones of the routers in the plurality for which the proposed routing update is not appropriate, wherein each of the plurality of substitute routing advertisements comprises a first routing target different from a second routing target associated with the proposed routing update, and the controller to convey a first one of the substitute routing advertisements to a first router in the plurality of routers and to convey the first routing advertisement corresponding to the proposed routing update to a second router of the plurality of routers, the second router being different from the first router, the controller to determine whether the proposed router update is appropriate based on cost metrics.