Method and system for minimizing disruption during in-service software upgrade

1. A method comprising:

enabling a first route processor to operate in an active mode and a second route processor to operate in a standby mode, wherein the first route processor operating in the active mode controls a routing process involving one or more line cards forwarding packets in a network and the second route processor operating in the standby mode does not control the routing process;

receiving a modified system software at the second route processor operating in the standby mode, wherein the modified system software is an upgrade or downgrade of software on the second route processor;

in response to receiving the modified system software, downloading a minimal context forwarder from the second route processor operating in the standby mode into one of the one or more line cards that is forwarding packets, the minimal context forwarder derived from the modified system software received at the second route processor and includes a subset of functionality of the modified system software;

initiating operation of the minimal context forwarder in the one or more line cards, wherein the minimal context forwarder in each of the one or more line cards controls operation of the one or more line cards respectively to continue forwarding the packets while the minimal context forwarder in each of the one or more line cards is reloading the one or more line cards with the modified system software received from the second route processor;

forwarding packets received at the one of the one or more line cards using the minimal context forwarder that is downloaded into the one of the one or more line cards;

reloading, by the minimal context forwarder that is downloaded into the one of the one or more line cards, the one of the one or more line cards with the modified system software received from the second route processor operating in the standby mode; and

updating system software associated with the one of the one or more line cards with the modified system software while the minimal context forwarder that is downloaded into the one of the one or more line cards is forwarding packets.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

configuring the updated system software on the one of the one or more line cards; and

terminating operation of the minimal context forwarder that is downloaded into the one of the one or more line cards.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein receiving the modified system software at the second route processor comprises:

updating the second route processor operating in the standby mode with the modified system software;

synchronizing operation of the updated second route processor operating in standby mode with the first route processor;

switching control of the routing process from the first route processor to the second route processor such that the second route processor operates in the active mode and the first route processor operates in the standby mode; and

upgrading the first route processor with the modified system software.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein synchronizing operation of the updated second route processor with the first route processor comprises:

exchanging messages between the first route processor and the second route processor operating in standby mode, the messages including information on status of forwarding packets in the network.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein forwarding packets received at the one of the one or more line cards using the minimal context forwarder comprises:

executing, by the minimal context forwarder, a critical context that is maintained by the one of the one or more line cards in a local persistent storage associated with the one of the one or more line cards, the critical context including a subset of a forwarding table known as the Forwarding Information Base (FIB) that provides information identifying network locations for forwarding packets.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein executing the critical context comprises:

reading, by the minimal context forwarder, the critical context, and

wherein the critical context includes information regarding types of data packet encapsulation and configuration of network interfaces.

7. A system comprising:

a processor; and

instructions encoded in a non-transitory machine-readable medium for execution by the processor and, when executed, configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

enabling a first route processor to operate in an active mode and a second route processor to operate in a standby mode, wherein the first route processor operating in the active mode controls a routing process involving one or more line cards forwarding packets in a network and the second route processor operating in the standby mode does not control the routing process;

receiving a modified system software at the second route processor operating in the standby mode;

downloading a minimal context forwarder from the second route processor operating in the standby mode into one of the one or more line cards that is forwarding packets, the minimal context forwarder derived from the modified system software received at the second route processor and includes a subset of functionality of the modified system software;

initiate operation of the minimal context forwarder in the one or more line cards, wherein the minimal context forwarder in each of the one or more line cards controls operation of the one or more line cards respectively to continue forwarding the packets while the minimal context forwarder in each of the one or more line cards is reloading the one or more line cards with the modified system software received from the second route processor;

forwarding packets received at the one of the one or more line cards

using the minimal context forwarder that is downloaded into the one of the one or more line cards;

reloading, by the minimal context forwarder that is downloaded into the one of the one or more line cards, one of the one or more line cards with the modified system software received from the second route processor operating in the standby mode; and

updating system software associated with the one of the one or more line cards with the modified system software while the minimal context forwarder that is downloaded into the one of the one or more line cards is forwarding packets.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

configuring the updated system software on the one of the one or more line cards; and

terminating operation of the minimal context forwarder that is downloaded into the one of the one or more line cards.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the instructions that are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising receiving the modified system software at the second route processor include instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

updating the second route processor operating in the standby mode with the modified system software;

synchronizing operation of the updated second route processor operating in standby mode with the first route processor;

switching control of the routing process from the first route processor to the second route processor such that the second route processor operates in the active mode and the first route processor operates in the standby mode; and

upgrading the first route processor with the modified system software.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising synchronizing operation of the updated second route processor with the first route processor include instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

exchanging messages between the first route processor and the second route processor operating in standby mode, the messages including information on status of forwarding packets in the network.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising forwarding packets received at the one of the one or more line cards using the minimal context forwarder include instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

executing, by the minimal context forwarder, a critical context that is maintained by the one of the one or more line cards in a local persistent storage associated with the one of the one or more line cards, the critical context including a subset of a forwarding table known as the Forwarding Information Base (FIB) that provides information identifying network locations for forwarding packets.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising executing the critical context include instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

reading, by the minimal context forwarder, the critical context, wherein the critical context includes information regarding types of data packet encapsulation and configuration of network interfaces.

13. A non-transitory machine readable medium having instructions thereon, the instructions, when executed by a processor on a device in a computer network, operable to:

enable a first route processor to operate in an active mode and a second route processor to operate in a standby mode, wherein the first route processor operating in the active mode controls a routing process involving one or more line cards forwarding packets in a network and the second route processor operating in the standby mode does not control the routing process;

receive a modified system software at the second route processor operating in the standby mode, wherein the modified system software is an upgrade or a downgrade of software on the second route processor;

in response to receiving the modified system software, download a minimal context forwarder from the second route processor operating in the standby mode into one of the one or more line cards that is forwarding packets, the minimal context forwarder derived from the modified system software received at the second route processor and includes a subset of functionality of the modified system software;

initiate operation of the minimal context forwarder in the one or more line cards, wherein the minimal context forwarder in each of the one or more line cards controls operation of the one or more line cards respectively to continue forwarding the packets while the minimal context forwarder in each of the one or more line cards is reloading the one or more line cards with the modified system software received from the second route processor;

forward packets received at the one of the one or more line cards using the minimal context forwarder that is downloaded into the one of the one or more line cards, the one of the one or more line cards with the modified system software received from the second route processor operating in a standby mode; and

update system software associated with the one of the one or more line cards with the modified system software while the minimal context forwarder that is downloaded into the one of the one or more line cards is forwarding packets.

14. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

configuring the updated system software on the one of the one or more line cards; and

terminating operation of the minimal context forwarder that is downloaded into the one of the one or more line cards.

15. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the instructions that are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising receiving the modified system software at the second route processor include instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

updating the second route processor operating in the standby mode with the modified system software;

synchronizing operation of the updated second route processor operating in standby mode with the first route processor;

switching control of the routing process from the first route processor to the second route processor such that the second route processor operates in the active mode and the first route processor operates in the standby mode; and

upgrading the first route processor with the modified system software.

16. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising synchronizing operation of the updated second route processor with the first route processor include instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

exchanging messages between the first route processor and the second route processor operating in standby mode, the messages including information on status of forwarding packets in the network.

17. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processors to perform operations comprising forwarding packets received at the one of the one or more line cards using the minimal context forwarder include instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

executing, by the minimal context forwarder, a critical context that is maintained by the one of the one or more line cards in a local persistent storage associated with the one of the one or more line cards, the critical context including a subset of a forwarding table known as the Forwarding Information Base (FIB) that provides information identifying network locations for forwarding packets.

18. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising executing the critical context include instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

reading, by the minimal context forwarder, the critical context, wherein the critical context includes information regarding types of data packet encapsulation and configuration of network interfaces.