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Graceful Shutdown for OSPFv3
The OSPFv3 Graceful Shutdown feature preserves the data plane capability in these circumstances:
• RP failure resulting in a switch-over to the backup processor
• Planned OSPFv3 process restart, such as a restart resulting from a software upgrade or downgrade
• Unplanned OSPFv3 process restart, such as a restart resulting from a process crash
In addition, OSPFv3 will unilaterally shutdown and enter the exited state when a critical memory event,
indicating the processor is critically low on available memory, is received from the sysmon watch dog process.
This feature supports nonstop data forwarding on established routes while the OSPFv3 routing protocol restarts.
Therefore, this feature enhances high availability of IPv6 forwarding.
Modes of Graceful Restart Operation
The operational modes that a router can be in for this feature are restart mode, helper mode, and protocol
shutdown mode.
Restart Mode
When the OSPFv3 process starts up, it determines whether it must attempt a graceful restart. The determination
is based on whether graceful restart was previously enabled. (OSPFv3 does not attempt a graceful restart upon
the first-time startup of the router.) When OSPFv3 graceful restart is enabled, it changes the purge timer in
the RIB to a nonzero value. See
Configuring OSPFv3 Graceful Restart, on page 307
,for descriptions of how
to enable and configure graceful restart.
During a graceful restart, the router does not populate OSPFv3 routes in the RIB. It tries to bring up full
adjacencies with the fully adjacent neighbors that OSPFv3 had before the restart. Eventually, the OSPFv3
process indicates to the RIB that it has converged, either for the purpose of terminating the graceful restart
(for any reason) or because it has completed the graceful restart.
The following are general details about restart mode. More detailed information on behavior and certain
restrictions and requirements appears in
Graceful Restart Requirements and Restrictions, on page 274
section.
• If OSPFv3 attempts a restart too soon after the most recent restart, the OSPFv3 process is most likely
crashing repeatedly, so the new graceful restart stops running. To control the period between allowable
graceful restarts, use the
graceful-restart interval
command.
• When OSFPv3 starts a graceful restart with the first interface that comes up, a timer starts running to
limit the duration (or lifetime) of the graceful restart. You can configure this period with the
graceful-restart lifetime
command. On each interface that comes up, a
grace
LSA (Type 11) is flooded
to indicate to the neighboring routers that this router is attempting graceful restart. The neighbors enter
into helper mode.
• The designated router and backup designated router check of the hello packet received from the restarting
neighbor is bypassed, because it might not be valid.
Helper Mode
Helper mode is enabled by default. When a (helper) router receives a grace LSA (Type 11) from a router that
is attempting a graceful restart, the following events occur:
Routing Configuration Guide for Cisco NCS 6000 Series Routers, IOS XR Release 6.4.x
272
Implementing OSPF
Graceful Shutdown for OSPFv3