A method for operating a data communication network to provide protection to nodes (BB, FF) in said data communication network, said method comprising: maintaining, for each of a plurality of links (AA-BB, BB-PP, AA-RR, BB-CC, RR-SS, SS-CC, CC-PP, EE-RR, EE-FF, FF-GG, SS-GG) in said data communication network, a backup bandwidth pool providing available bandwidth allocated for use by backup tunnels; establishing backup tunnels (AA-RR-SS-CC; AA-RR-SS-CC-PP; EE-RR-SS-GG) to protect a plurality of nodes (BB, FF) of said network, each of said backup tunnels consuming backup bandwidth from backup bandwidth pools of selected ones (AA-RR, RR-SS, SS-CC, CC-PP, EE-RR, SS-GG) of said plurality of links (AA-BB, BB-PP, AA-RR, BB-CC, RR-SS, SS-CC, CC-PP, EE-RR, EE-FF, FF-GG, SS-GG) by deducting the bandwidth employed by each of said backup tunnels from the backup bandwidth pool of selected ones of said plurality of links; wherein the sum of the bandwidth of all backup tunnels (AA-RR-SS-CC; AA-RR-SS-CC-PP) protecting any particular node of said network sharing any link (AA-RR, RR-SS, SS-CC, CC-PP) does not exceed the backup bandwidth pool available on the link; and further comprising signaling said backup tunnels (AA-RR-SS-CC; AA-RR-SS-CC-PP) protecting any particular node to adjacent nodes of said data communication network with zero bandwidth, such that the bandwidth of said backup tunnels (AA-RR-SS-CC; AA-RR-SS-CC-PP) protecting any particular node is not subtracted from the backup bandwidth pool available on at least one link (RR-SS) to protect a different node, and that there is at least one set of backup tunnels (AA-RR-SS-CC; AA-RR-SS-CC-PP; EE-RR-SS-GG) that protect different nodes (BB, FF) and that consume more bandwidth on the at least one link (RR-SS) than provided by said at least one link's (RR-SS) backup bandwidth pool. maintaining, for each of a plurality of links (AA-BB, BB-PP, AA-RR, BB-CC, RR-SS, SS-CC, CC-PP, EE-RR, EE-FF, FF-GG, SS-GG) in said data communication network, a backup bandwidth pool providing available bandwidth allocated for use by backup tunnels; establishing backup tunnels (AA-RR-SS-CC; AA-RR-SS-CC-PP; EE-RR-SS-GG) to protect a plurality of nodes (BB, FF) of said network, each of said backup tunnels consuming backup bandwidth from backup bandwidth pools of selected ones (AA-RR, RR-SS, SS-CC, CC-PP, EE-RR, SS-GG) of said plurality of links (AA-BB, BB-PP, AA-RR, BB-CC, RR-SS, SS-CC, CC-PP, EE-RR, EE-FF, FF-GG, SS-GG) by deducting the bandwidth employed by each of said backup tunnels from the backup bandwidth pool of selected ones of said plurality of links; wherein the sum of the bandwidth of all backup tunnels (AA-RR-SS-CC; AA-RR-SS-CC-PP) protecting any particular node of said network sharing any link (AA-RR, RR-SS, SS-CC, CC-PP) does not exceed the backup bandwidth pool available on the link; and further comprising signaling said backup tunnels (AA-RR-SS-CC; AA-RR-SS-CC-PP) protecting any particular node to adjacent nodes of said data communication network with zero bandwidth, such that the bandwidth of said backup tunnels (AA-RR-SS-CC; AA-RR-SS-CC-PP) protecting any particular node is not subtracted from the backup bandwidth pool available on at least one link (RR-SS) to protect a different node, and that there is at least one set of backup tunnels (AA-RR-SS-CC; AA-RR-SS-CC-PP; EE-RR-SS-GG) that protect different nodes (BB, FF) and that consume more bandwidth on the at least one link (RR-SS) than provided by said at least one link's (RR-SS) backup bandwidth pool.