Forwarding detection of an aggregated interface

1. A method comprising:

setting, by a network device, a session master node for a control plane connectivity detection session between two of a plurality of network nodes, wherein the plurality of network nodes is interconnected by an aggregated interface having a plurality of links;

setting, by the network device, a session standby node, locally connected to the session master node of a first network node of the plurality of network nodes, for the control plane connectivity detection session;

establishing, by the network device, an active forwarding plane connectivity detection session between the session master node of the first network node and a peer session master node of a second network node of the plurality of network nodes, wherein the active forwarding plane connectivity detection session detects connectivity failures of the aggregated interface;

establishing a passive forwarding plane connectivity detection session between the session standby node and the peer session master node; and

exchanging connectivity detection messages over the active forwarding plane connectivity detection session without exchanging connectivity detection messages over the passive forwarding plane connectivity detection session;

in response to determining, by the session standby node, that the session master node is down, setting, by the network device, the session standby node as a new session master node for the first network node; and

establishing, by the network device, the passive forwarding plane connectivity detection session as a new active forwarding plane connectivity detection session.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the connectivity detection messages comprise Bidirectional Forwarding Detection messages.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the active forwarding plane connectivity detection session and the passive forwarding plane connectivity detection session are active and passive micro bidirectional forwarding detection sessions, respectively.

4. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein the network nodes are virtual network nodes within a single physical network device chassis,

wherein the links comprise fabric interconnects within a switch fabric of the single physical network device chassis, and

wherein the aggregated interface comprises an abstract fabric interface.

5. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein the network nodes are separate physical network devices,

wherein the links comprise Ethernet links, and

wherein the aggregated interface comprises a Link Aggregation Group (LAG).

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein establishing the passive forwarding plane connectivity detection session between the session standby node and the peer session master node comprises synchronizing session parameters associated with the active forwarding plane connectivity detection session to the session standby node.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the session parameters comprise Bidirectional Forwarding Detection parameters including My Discriminator, Your Discriminator, source IP address, and destination IP address.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the session master node is down comprises:

sending, by the session standby node and to the session master node, a heartbeat message; and

determining, by the session standby node, that a response to the heartbeat message was not received within a specified time interval.

9. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein the plurality of network nodes each comprise a plurality of packet processors, and

wherein setting the session standby node as the new session master node comprises setting, as the new session master node, that packet processor of the plurality of packet processors which is installed in a next lowest slot of the first network node.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of network nodes each comprise a plurality of packet processors, further comprising:

detecting a new packet processor is added to the first network node;

in response to determining that the new packet processor takes priority over the session master node, setting the new packet processor as a new session master node for the first network node;

generating a new active forwarding plane connectivity detection session between the new session master node and the peer session master node; and

deleting the active forwarding plane connectivity detection session between the session master node and the peer session master node.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein determining that the new packet processor takes priority over the session master node comprises determining that the new packet processor is installed in a lowest slot of the first network node.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining that the aggregated interface is down; and

sending a status message to the peer session master node indicating the aggregated interface is down to trigger a traffic reroute to avoid the aggregated interface.

13. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein the plurality of network nodes each comprise a plurality of packet processors,

wherein setting the session master node for the control plane connectivity detection session comprises setting, as the session master node, that packet processor of the plurality of packet processors which is installed in a lowest slot of the network device.

14. A method comprising:

setting, by a network device having a plurality of virtual network nodes and an abstract fabric interface that logically connects a plurality of packet processors of the network device respectively assigned to a first virtual network node and a second virtual network node of the plurality of virtual network nodes, a first packet processor of the plurality of packet processors as a session master node for a control plane connectivity detection session for the abstract fabric interface;

setting, by the network device, a second packet processor of the plurality of packet processors as a session standby node, locally connected to the session master node of the first virtual network node, for the control plane connectivity detection session;

establishing, by the network device, an active forwarding plane connectivity detection session between the session master node of the first virtual network node and a peer session master node of the second virtual network node, wherein the active forwarding plane connectivity detection session detects connectivity failures of the abstract fabric interface;

establishing, by the network device, a passive forwarding plane connectivity detection session between the session standby node and the peer session master node; and

exchanging connectivity detection messages over the active forwarding plane connectivity detection session without exchanging connectivity detection messages over the passive forwarding plane connectivity detection session;

in response to determining, by the session standby node, that the session master node is down, setting, by the network device, the session standby node as a new session master node for the first virtual network node; and

establishing, by the network device, the passive forwarding plane connectivity detection session as a new active forwarding plane connectivity detection session.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein establishing the passive forwarding plane connectivity detection session between the session standby node and the peer session master node comprises synchronizing, by the network device, session parameters associated with the active forwarding plane connectivity detection session to the session standby node.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein determining whether the session master node is down comprises:

sending, by the session standby node and to the session master node, a heartbeat message; and

determining, by the session standby node, that a response to the heartbeat message was not received within a specified time interval.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein setting the session standby node as the new session master node comprises setting, as the new session master node, that packet processor of the plurality of packet processors which is installed in a next lowest slot of the network device.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

detecting, by the network device, a new packet processor is added to the network device;

in response to determining that the new packet processor takes priority over the session master node, setting, by the network device, the new packet processor as a new session master node for the first virtual network node;

generating, by the network device, a new active forwarding plane connectivity detection session between the new session master node and the peer session master node; and

deleting, by the network device, the active forwarding plane connectivity detection session between the session master node and the peer session master node.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein determining that the new packet processor takes priority over the session master node comprises determining that the new packet processor is installed in a lowest slot of the network device.

20. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

determining, by the network device, that the abstract fabric interface is down; and

sending, by the session master node and to the peer session master node, a status message indicating the abstract fabric interface is down to trigger a traffic reroute to avoid the abstract fabric interface.

21. The method of claim 14 , wherein selecting the session master node from the packet processor of the plurality of packet processors comprises setting, as the session master node, that packet processor of the plurality of packet processors which is installed in a lowest slot of the network device.

22. The method of claim 14 , wherein the abstract fabric interface includes a plurality of fabric interconnects.

23. The method of claim 14 , wherein the active forwarding plane connectivity detection session and the passive forwarding plane connectivity detection session are active and passive micro bidirectional forwarding detection sessions, respectively.

24. A network device comprising:

a plurality of packet processors;

an aggregated interface having a plurality of links coupling respective pairs of the plurality of packet processors at respective interfaces of a plurality of network nodes;

a first packet processor of the plurality of packet processors set as a session master node for a control plane connectivity detection session between two of the plurality of network nodes, wherein the session master node comprises an active forwarding plane connectivity detection session established between the session master node of a first network node of the plurality of network nodes and a peer session master node of a second network node of the plurality of network nodes, and wherein the session master node configured to:

detect connectivity failures of the aggregated interface, and

exchange connectivity detection messages over the active forwarding plane connectivity detection session without exchanging connectivity detection messages over the passive forwarding plane connectivity detection session; and

a second packet processor of the plurality of packet processors set as a session standby node, locally connected to the session master node of the first network node, for the control plane connectivity detection session, wherein the session standby node comprises a passive forwarding plane connectivity detection session between the session standby node and the peer session master node, wherein the session standby node configured to:

determine whether the session master node is down,

in response to determining that the session master node is down, set the session standby node as a new session master node for the first network node, and

establish the passive forwarding plane connectivity detection session as a new active forwarding plane connectivity detection session.

25. The network device of claim 24 , wherein the connectivity detection messages comprise Bidirectional Forwarding Detection messages.

26. The network device of claim 24 , wherein the active forwarding plane connectivity detection session and the passive forwarding plane connectivity detection session are micro bidirectional forwarding detection sessions.

27. The network device of claim 24 ,

wherein the network nodes are virtual network nodes within a single physical network device chassis,

wherein the links comprise fabric interconnects within a switch fabric of the single physical network device chassis, and

wherein the aggregated interface comprises an abstract fabric interface.

28. The network device of claim 24 ,

wherein the network nodes are separate physical network devices,

wherein the links comprise Ethernet links, and

wherein the aggregated interface comprises a Link Aggregation Group (LAG).

29. The network device of claim 24 , wherein, to establish the passive forwarding plane connectivity detection session between the session standby node and the peer session master node, the session standby node is further configured to synchronize session parameters associated with the active forwarding plane connectivity detection session to the session standby node.

30. The network device of claim 29 , wherein the session parameters comprise Bidirectional Forwarding Detection parameters including My Discriminator, Your Discriminator, source IP address, and destination IP address.

31. The network device of claim 24 , wherein, to determine whether the session master node is down, the session standby node is further configured to:

send a heartbeat message to the session master node; and

determine that a response to the heartbeat message was not received within a specified time interval.

32. The network device of claim 24 , wherein, to set the session standby node as the new session master node for the first network node, the session standby node is further configured to set, as the new session master node, that packet processor of the plurality of packet processors which is installed in a next lowest slot of the network device.

33. The network device of claim 24 , wherein the network device is configured to:

detect a new packet processor is added to the network device;

in response to determining that the new packet processor takes priority over the session master node, set the new packet processor as a new session master node for the first network node;

generate a new active forwarding plane connectivity detection session between the new session master node and the peer session master node; and

delete the active forwarding plane connectivity detection session between the session master node and the peer session master node.

34. The network device of claim 33 , wherein, to determine that the new packet processor takes priority over the session master node, the network device is further configured to determine the new packet processor is installed in a lowest slot of the network device.

35. The network of claim 24 , wherein the session master node is further configured to:

determine that the aggregated interface is down; and

send a status message to the peer session master node indicating the aggregated interface is down to trigger reroute to avoid the aggregated interface.