A method for handling state information of a first tunnel endpoint of a point to point connection between the first tunnel endpoint and a second tunnel endpoint, the point to point connection being a Layer Two Tunneling Protocol, L2TP, tunnel, the state information comprising a first state variable comprising a sequence number for sent messages and a second state variable comprising a sequence number for received messages, characterised in that the method comprises: detecting a failure in the first tunnel endpoint with a backup tunnel endpoint of the first tunnel endpoint; sending a first hello message to the second tunnel endpoint from the backup tunnel endpoint, wherein the state variables in the first hello message are set as current first and second state variables of the backup tunnel endpoint, receiving a first response message from the second tunnel endpoint, wherein the state variables in the first response message comprise the first and second state variables of the second tunnel endpoint, setting the second state variable of the backup tunnel endpoint as the first state variable in the first response message incremented by one, recovering the first state variable of the first tunnel endpoint when the second state variable in the first response message equals the first state variable of the backup tunnel endpoint incremented by one; and when the second state variable of the second tunnel endpoint in the first response message does not equal the first state variable of the backup tunnel endpoint incremented by one, the method further comprises: setting the first state variable of the backup tunnel endpoint as the second state variable in the first response message; sending a second hello message to the second tunnel endpoint from the backup tunnel endpoint, wherein the state variables in the second hello message are set as current first and second state variables of the backup tunnel endpoint; receiving a second response message from the second tunnel endpoint, wherein the state variables in the second response message comprise the first and second state variables of the second tunnel endpoint; setting the second state variable of the backup tunnel endpoint as the first state variable in the second response message incremented by one; and recovering the first state variable of the first tunnel endpoint when the second state variable in the second response message equals the first state variable of the backup tunnel endpoint incremented by one. detecting a failure in the first tunnel endpoint with a backup tunnel endpoint of the first tunnel endpoint; sending a first hello message to the second tunnel endpoint from the backup tunnel endpoint, wherein the state variables in the first hello message are set as current first and second state variables of the backup tunnel endpoint, receiving a first response message from the second tunnel endpoint, wherein the state variables in the first response message comprise the first and second state variables of the second tunnel endpoint, setting the second state variable of the backup tunnel endpoint as the first state variable in the first response message incremented by one, recovering the first state variable of the first tunnel endpoint when the second state variable in the first response message equals the first state variable of the backup tunnel endpoint incremented by one; and when the second state variable of the second tunnel endpoint in the first response message does not equal the first state variable of the backup tunnel endpoint incremented by one, the method further comprises: setting the first state variable of the backup tunnel endpoint as the second state variable in the first response message; sending a second hello message to the second tunnel endpoint from the backup tunnel endpoint, wherein the state variables in the second hello message are set as current first and second state variables of the backup tunnel endpoint; receiving a second response message from the second tunnel endpoint, wherein the state variables in the second response message comprise the first and second state variables of the second tunnel endpoint; setting the second state variable of the backup tunnel endpoint as the first state variable in the second response message incremented by one; and recovering the first state variable of the first tunnel endpoint when the second state variable in the second response message equals the first state variable of the backup tunnel endpoint incremented by one. setting the first state variable of the backup tunnel endpoint as the second state variable in the first response message; sending a second hello message to the second tunnel endpoint from the backup tunnel endpoint, wherein the state variables in the second hello message are set as current first and second state variables of the backup tunnel endpoint; receiving a second response message from the second tunnel endpoint, wherein the state variables in the second response message comprise the first and second state variables of the second tunnel endpoint; setting the second state variable of the backup tunnel endpoint as the first state variable in the second response message incremented by one; and recovering the first state variable of the first tunnel endpoint when the second state variable in the second response message equals the first state variable of the backup tunnel endpoint incremented by one.