Abstract: Multiple traffic management nodes may be coupled with separate networks and with a connecting network. The traffic management nodes monitor and classify traffic passing through the connecting network. Current paths through the connecting network are identified and used to build detour paths through the connecting network using traffic management nodes as detour nodes. The detour paths may be shortened, thereby excluding the detour nodes from each detour path. The traffic management nodes and the detour paths may be used to create a traffic engineered system for traffic passing through the connecting network.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided that allow processing engines to be synchronized to each other with high accuracy. In one embodiment, the invention includes obtaining a processor tick counter value from a first processing engine, comparing the obtained processor tick counter value to a processor tick counter value from a second processing engine and determining a timing offset for synchronizing the first processing engine and the second processing engine using the comparison. The invention may further include obtaining a processor tick counter value by sending a request message from the second processing engine to the first processing engine, and receiving a reply from the first processing engine at the second processing engine. The processor tick counter value at the second processing engine can be determined by recording the time at which the request message is sent and by recording the time at which the reply is received.