Correlation and consolidation of link events to facilitate updating of status of source-destination routes in a multi-path network

摘要

In a communications network having a plurality of interconnected nodes adapted to communicate with each other by transmitting packets over links, with more than one path available between source-destination node pairs, a network interface is associated with each node. Each network interface has a plurality of route tables for defining a plurality of routes for transferring packets from the associated node as source node to a destination node. Each network interface further includes a path status table of path status indicators, e.g., bits, for indicating whether each route in the route table is usable or unusable as being associated with a fault. A network manager monitors the network to identify link events, and provides path status indicators to the respective network interfaces. The network manager determines the path status indicator updates with reference to a link level of each link event, and consolidates multiple substantially simultaneous link events.