Patent ID: 6950424

Claim:
A splitting router suitable for use in an autonomous system communication network that employs Open Shortest Path First protocol for communicating information, the splitting router comprising: a topological database; an Open Shortest Path First processing unit for updating the topological database in response to link state messages; a splitting router packet processing unit for processing messages received over a link that connects the first splitting router and a second splitting router, and forwarding to the Open Shortest Path First processing unit hello messages received over the link that connects the first splitting router and the second splitting router; a router packet processing unit for processing messages received over a sub-area network to which the splitting router is connected that is a sub-area of a backbone network, and forwarding to the Open Shortest Path First processing unit hello messages received over the sub-area network to which the splitting router is connected; and a buffer for buffering messages output by the splitting router packet processing unit and the router packet processing unit.