Virtual interface with active and backup physical interfaces
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- presenting a plurality of physical interfaces of a network device to routing control logic of the network device as a single virtual interface;
performing route calculation with respect to the virtual interface to generate routing information that associates one or more network routes with the virtual interface;
mapping the virtual interface to a first one of the physical interfaces;
forwarding traffic of the one or more network routes associated with the virtual interface via the first one of the physical interfaces in accordance with the mapping;
in response to detecting a network event, remapping the virtual interface to a second one of the physical interfaces; and
forwarding at least a portion of the traffic of the one or more network routes associated with the virtual interface via the second one of the physical interfaces in accordance with the mapping.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A network device, such as a router, utilizes a virtual interface to hide the presence of redundant backup physical interfaces from a router control unit. If traffic needs to be redirected from a primary physical interface, the router remaps the virtual interface to the backup physical interface without needing to update routes and select one or more alternative routes due to the need to redirect traffic. Instead, the router control unit redirects network traffic associated with the primary physical interface to the associated backup physical interface. In this manner, delays associated with route updating can be avoided, and a relatively seamless switchover can be achieved from the primary to the backup physical interface.
64 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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presenting a plurality of physical interfaces of a network device to routing control logic of the network device as a single virtual interface; performing route calculation with respect to the virtual interface to generate routing information that associates one or more network routes with the virtual interface; mapping the virtual interface to a first one of the physical interfaces; forwarding traffic of the one or more network routes associated with the virtual interface via the first one of the physical interfaces in accordance with the mapping; in response to detecting a network event, remapping the virtual interface to a second one of the physical interfaces; and forwarding at least a portion of the traffic of the one or more network routes associated with the virtual interface via the second one of the physical interfaces in accordance with the mapping. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A computer-readable medium storing executable instructions which are executed in a network device, wherein the instructions when executed:
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present a plurality of physical interfaces of a network device to routing control logic of the network device as a single virtual interface; perform route calculation with respect to the virtual interface to generate routing information that associates one or more network routes with the virtual interface; map the virtual interface to a first one of the physical interfaces; forward traffic of the one or more network routes associated with the virtual interface via the first one of the physical interfaces in accordance with the mapping; in response to detecting a network event, remap the virtual interface to a second one of the physical interfaces; and forward at least a portion of the traffic of the one or more network routes associated with the virtual interface via the second one of the physical interfaces in accordance with the mapping. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A network device comprising:
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a plurality of physical interfaces; and a control unit that presents a plurality of physical interfaces of a network device to routing control logic of the network device as a single virtual interface, performs route calculation with respect to the virtual interface to generate routing information that associates one or more network routes with the virtual interface, maps the virtual interface to a first one of the physical interfaces, forwards traffic of the one or more network routes associated with the virtual interface via the first one of the physical interfaces in accordance with the mapping, in response to detecting a network event, remaps the virtual interface to a second one of the physical interfaces, and forwards at least a portion of the traffic of the one or more network routes associated with the virtual interface via the second one of the physical interfaces in accordance with the napping. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification