Patent ID: 7423962
Filing Date: 2008-09-09
Classification: H04L,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method, comprising: maintaining one or more logical nodes in each of first and second parallel physical cluster nodes configured to transmit data, wherein the first cluster node is a redundancy unit to the second cluster node and vice versa, forming load allocation alternatives of the logical nodes, wherein the first logical node of the load allocation alternative resides in the first cluster node and the second logical node resides in the second cluster node, wherein the first logical node is active and the second logical node on standby or vice versa, and performing, when a cluster node malfunctions, a switchover of the load allocation alternatives, the active logical nodes of which reside in the faulty cluster node, by changing their logical nodes from standby to active and the active logical nodes to standby, wherein a network element in a communications system comprising the first and second cluster nodes is backed-up, the method also comprising defining an individual external routing address for each load allocation alternative, on the basis of which data is transmitted to the network element.