System and Method for Exchanging Awareness Information in a Network Environment
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for communicating packets in a network environment, comprising:
- a network element operable to receive a packet and to identify a sequence number included in the packet, wherein the sequence number is associated with a state of one or more adjacent network elements, and wherein the network element is operable to exchange incremental state information with the one or more adjacent network elements if the sequence number included in the packet has not already been received, whereby full neighbor state updates are transmitted when a new neighbor relationship has formed between network elements, and whereby neighboring network elements that already have full state information ignore the full neighbor state updates while those neighboring network elements that are missing state information process the updates.
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Abstract
A method for communicating packets in a network environment is provided that includes receiving a packet at a network element and identifying a sequence number included in the packet that correlates to awareness information associated with one or more adjacent network elements. A table included in the network element may be updated in order to account for the awareness information included within the packet that has not been accounted for by the network element. In cases where the awareness information included in the packet has already been accounted for, the packet may be ignored.
66 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for communicating packets in a network environment, comprising:
a network element operable to receive a packet and to identify a sequence number included in the packet, wherein the sequence number is associated with a state of one or more adjacent network elements, and wherein the network element is operable to exchange incremental state information with the one or more adjacent network elements if the sequence number included in the packet has not already been received, whereby full neighbor state updates are transmitted when a new neighbor relationship has formed between network elements, and whereby neighboring network elements that already have full state information ignore the full neighbor state updates while those neighboring network elements that are missing state information process the updates. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for communicating packets in a network environment, comprising:
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receiving a packet at a network element;
identifying a sequence number included in the packet, wherein the sequence number is associated with a state of one or more adjacent network elements; and
exchanging incremental state information with the one or more adjacent network elements if the sequence number included in the packet has not already been received. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification