Ciena Corporation
In-service software upgrade systems and methods utilizing two router processors in a network element

Abstract:

A node includes one or more line cards interconnected to one another via a switching fabric and configured to implement a data plane; and a first router processor and a second router processor communicatively coupled to the one or more line cards, and each configured to implement a separate control plane, such that the node appears in a link-state database as two separate nodes. Responsive to an in-service software upgrade, the first router processor is upgraded and down while the second router processor is active, thereby preserving routing and forwarding. The one or more line cards include a first Virtual Local Area Networking (VLAN) for the first router processor and a second VLAN for the second router processor, and the first VLAN and the second VLAN are associated with a same physical interface on the one or more line cards.