Mechanism for efficiently transmitting tunnel keep-alive messages

摘要

A method, apparatus and computer program product for efficiently transmitting tunnel keep-alive messages is presented. A tunnel keep-alive trigger message is provided from a control processor of a multi-processor network switching device to at least one forwarding engine of the network switching device. The at least one of the forwarding engines produces a tunnel keep-alive packet as a result of receiving the tunnel keep-alive trigger message from the control processor. The at least one forwarding engine forwards the tunnel keep-alive packet on all tunnels the forwarding engine is servicing.

主权项

1. A computer-implemented method in which a network switching device performs operations comprising:
providing a tunnel keep-alive trigger message from a control processor of a network switching device to at least one forwarding engine of said network switching device, wherein said tunnel keep-alive trigger message includes a Multicast Group Identifier (MGID);
producing, by said at least one of said forwarding engine of said network switching device, a tunnel keep-alive packet as a result of receiving said tunnel keep-alive trigger message from said control processor, wherein said tunnel keep-alive packet uses said MGID as the destination of said tunnel keep-alive packet and wherein said MGID includes all tunnels having an endpoint associated with said forwarding engine of said network switching device; andforwarding, by said at least one forwarding engine of said network switching device, said tunnel keep-alive packet on all tunnels said forwarding engine is servicing.