Patent ID: 11870487
Assignee: ORCKIT IP, LLC
Field: Digital communication (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 0:
1. A system for providing a path protection between first and second networks using a packet-based network, comprising first, second, third, and fourth Ethernet switches, each of the switches comprising in a respective enclosure:
a first connector, a second connector, and a third connector; and
a protection switch coupled between the first, second, and third connectors for transporting data traffic in a first mode between the first and second connectors and in a second mode between the first and third connectors,
wherein each of the Ethernet switches is configurable to set a respective Pseudo-Wire (PW) connection over the packet-based network with at least one another Ethernet switch,
wherein the first connectors of the first and second Ethernet switches are connectable to the first network,
wherein the first connectors of the third and fourth Ethernet switches are connectable to the second network,
wherein the first and third Ethernet switches are configured to set a first Pseudo-Wire (PW) connection over the packet-based network between the second connector of the first Ethernet switch and the second connector of the third Ethernet switch,
wherein the first and fourth Ethernet switches are configured to set a second Pseudo-Wire (PW) connection over the packet-based network between the third connector of the first Ethernet switch and the second connector of the fourth Ethernet switch;
wherein the second and third Ethernet switches are configured to set a third Pseudo-Wire (PW) connection over the packet-based network between the second connector of the second Ethernet switch and the third connector of the third Ethernet switch,
wherein the second and fourth Ethernet switches are configured to set a fourth Pseudo-Wire (PW) connection over the packet-based network between the third connector of the second Ethernet switch and the third connector of the fourth Ethernet switch, and
wherein when the first connectors of the first and second Ethernet switches are connected to the first network and the first connectors of the third and fourth Ethernet switches are connectable to the second network, at least part of the protection switches in the Ethernet switches are respectively set to be in the first or second mode so that there is at least one data path between the first and second networks in case of a failure in any one of the Ethernet switches or in any one of the Pseudo-Wire (PW) connections.