Transparent automatic protection switching for a chassis deployment
First Claim
1. A method for providing protection switching configuration information associated with a router arrangement to elements of a network, the router arrangement having a protection switching topology, the method comprising:
- identifying a first interface and a second interface of the router arrangement as an automatic protection switching (APS) group;
providing information regarding the APS group to a process that implements a routing protocol, wherein providing the information regarding the APS group includes identifying the first interface as a primary interface and identifying the second interface as a backup interface that is arranged to protect the primary interface, and wherein the information regarding the APS group further includes an IP loopback address associated with the second interface; and
performing a traffic level switch from the first interface onto the second interface without causing a process that implements an interior gateway routing protocol (IGP) to reconverge routing.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for allowing a traffic level switch associated with an automatic protection switching (APS) topology to occur transparently and without reconverging routing are described. According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for providing protection switching configuration information associated with a router arrangement to includes identifying a first interface and a second interface of the router arrangement as an APS group. The method also includes providing information regarding the APS group to a process that implements a routing protocol. Providing the information regarding the group includes identifying the first interface as a primary interface and identifying the second interface as a backup interface that is arranged to protect the primary interface.
18 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method for providing protection switching configuration information associated with a router arrangement to elements of a network, the router arrangement having a protection switching topology, the method comprising:
- identifying a first interface and a second interface of the router arrangement as an automatic protection switching (APS) group;
providing information regarding the APS group to a process that implements a routing protocol, wherein providing the information regarding the APS group includes identifying the first interface as a primary interface and identifying the second interface as a backup interface that is arranged to protect the primary interface, and wherein the information regarding the APS group further includes an IP loopback address associated with the second interface; and
performing a traffic level switch from the first interface onto the second interface without causing a process that implements an interior gateway routing protocol (IGP) to reconverge routing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
- identifying a first interface and a second interface of the router arrangement as an automatic protection switching (APS) group;
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5. A system for providing protection switching configuration information associated with a router arrangement to elements associated with a network, the router arrangement having a protection switching topology, the system comprising:
- means for identifying a first interface and a second interface of the router arrangement as an automatic protection switching (APS) group;
means for providing information regarding the APS group to a process that implements a routing protocol, wherein the means for providing the information regarding the APS group include means for identifying the first interface as a primary interface and means for identifying the second interface as a backup interface that is arranged to protect the primary interface, and wherein the information regarding the APS group further includes an IP loopback address associated with the second interface; and
means for performing a traffic level switch from the first interface onto the second interface without causing a process that implements an interior gateway routing protocol (IGP) to reconverge routing. - View Dependent Claims (6)
- means for identifying a first interface and a second interface of the router arrangement as an automatic protection switching (APS) group;
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7. A method for performing a switchover from a first interface to a second interface, the first interface and the second interface being associated with a router arrangement, the router arrangement having a protection switching topology, the method comprising:
- identifying if a circuit level switch from the first interface to the second interface has occurred; and
performing a traffic level switch from the first interface to the second interface if it is identified that the circuit level switch from the first interface to the second interface has occurred, wherein performing the traffic level switch includes automatically switching traffic arranged to be forwarded using the first interface onto the second interface without causing a process that implements an interior gateway routing protocol (IGP) to reconverge routing, and wherein the first interface is a primary interface and the second interface is a backup interface, the second interface having an associated IP loopback address. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
- identifying if a circuit level switch from the first interface to the second interface has occurred; and
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15. A system arranged to perform a switchover from a first interface to a second interface, the first interface and the second interface being associated with a router arrangement, the router arrangement having an automatic protection switching (APS) topology, the system comprising:
- means for identifying if a circuit level switch from the first interface to the second interface has occurred; and
means for performing a traffic level switch from the first interface to the second interface if it is identified that the circuit level switch from the first interface to the second interface has occurred, wherein the means for performing the traffic level switch include means for automatically switching traffic arranged to be forwarded using the first interface onto the second interface without causing a process that implements an interior gateway routing protocol (IGP) to reconverge routing, and wherein the first interface is a primary interface and the second interface is a backup interface, the second interface having an associated IP loopback address. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
- means for identifying if a circuit level switch from the first interface to the second interface has occurred; and
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19. A system arranged to perform a switchover from a first interface to a second interface, the first interface and the second interface being associated with a router arrangement, the router arrangement having an automatic protection switching (APS) topology, the system comprising:
- a receiving interface for obtaining information relating to whether a circuit level switch from the first interface to the second interface has occurred; and
a traffic switching interface, the traffic switching interface being arranged to perform a traffic level switch from the first interface to the second interface if the circuit level switch from the first interface to the second interface has occurred, wherein the traffic switching interface is further arranged to automatically switch traffic arranged to be forwarded using the first interface onto the second interface without causing a process that implements an interior gateway routing protocol (IGP) to reconverge routing, and wherein the first interface is a primary interface and the second interface is a backup interface, the second interface haying an associated IP loopback address. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
- a receiving interface for obtaining information relating to whether a circuit level switch from the first interface to the second interface has occurred; and
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23. A system for providing protection switching configuration information associated with a router arrangement to elements of a network such that a traffic level transparent switch may occur, the router arrangement having an automatic protection switching (APS) topology, the system comprising:
- a first arrangement that identifies a first interface and a second interface of the router arrangement as an APS group;
a second arrangement that provides information regarding the APS group to a process that implements an enhanced interior gateway routing protocol (EIGRP), wherein the second arrangement identifies the first interface as a primary interface and identifies the second interface as a backup interface that is arranged to protect the primary interface, and wherein the information regarding the APS group further includes an IP loopback address associated with the second interface; and
a third arrangement that performs a traffic level switch from the first interface onto the second interface without causing a process that implements an interior gateway routing protocol (IGP) to reconverge routing. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26)
- a first arrangement that identifies a first interface and a second interface of the router arrangement as an APS group;
Specification