Patent ID: 6704279
Filing Date: 2004-03-09
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A circuit arrangement for the protection switching of transmission devices, comprising:at least two switching devices which in each case terminate a transmission section formed of operating links and/or protection links, and between which information is exchanged over the transmission section, wherein in the case of a fault on the relevant transmission section, the information transmitted over the section is diverted to the protection link in accordance with priority criteria and logical connection information, the information is linked into MPLS packets, such that two oppositely directed unidirectional MPLS connections are logically associated with one another, the two oppositely directed MPLS connections in each case connecting the same switching devices, and a number of linear transmission sections are joined together so that a ring line system is formed, wherein operating and protection links are conducted via different physical paths, and group protection switching provided in the MPLS connections conducted via the same physical path are logically combined to form a group, and for the group formed at least two protection switching connections are generated, in each case one of the protection switching connections being set up via an operating link and another one of the protection switching connections being set up via the protection link, and the connections conducted via the at least one operating link and the connections conducted via the protection link are set up via an MPLS signaling protocol which also reserves bandwidth in the transmission devices and specifies the path of the operating link and of the protection link.