Patent ID: 7590054
Filing Date: 2009-09-15
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of protection switching in an Ethernet packet-switched network, the method comprising: establishing first and second virtual circuits, the first virtual circuit carrying packet traffic associated with a different service instance from packet traffic carried by the second virtual circuit; transmitting packet traffic of the first virtual circuit from a source network element to a sink network element through a first Ethernet tunnel and packet traffic of the second virtual circuit from the same source network element to the same sink network element through a second Ethernet tunnel, the second Ethernet tunnel being a different path through the Ethernet packet-switched network from the first Ethernet tunnel; switching the first virtual circuit from the first Ethernet tunnel to the second Ethernet tunnel; and after switching the first virtual circuit to the second Ethernet tunnel, transmitting packet traffic of the first virtual circuit and packet traffic of the second virtual circuit through the second Ethernet tunnel.