Patent ID: 8421614

Claim:
A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program, when executed in a data processing system in a programming device, causes the data processing system to: detect a reduction in a level of communications to one or more powered elements in a set of powered elements over a primary communication channel coupled to a primary communication controller in each of the set of powered elements, wherein the primary communication channel being coupled to the primary communication controller in each of the set of powered elements forms a set of primary communication channels to the set of powered elements, wherein each primary communication controller is further coupled to a secondary communication channel, and wherein the secondary communication channel being coupled to the primary communication controller in each of the set of powered elements forms a set of secondary communication channels to the set of powered elements; issue a request for data to the one or more powered elements using one or more of the secondary communication channels in the set of secondary communication channels in response to a reduction in the level of communications to the one or more powered elements being detected, wherein the set of secondary communication channels comprises one or more alternating current power lines and wherein the request is sent as data injected onto the alternating current power lines to the primary communication controller in each of the one or more powered elements; receive the data using the set of one or more of the secondary communication channels from the one or more powered elements; analyze the data to determine a set of recovery actions to restore the level of communications to the one or more powered elements in the set of powered elements over the set of primary communication channels coupled to the primary communication controller in each of the one or more powered elements; and issue the set of recovery actions to the one or more powered elements using the one or more of the secondary communication channels, wherein the set of recovery action is received by the primary communication controller in each of the one or more powered elements and wherein a primary controller in each of the one or more powered elements execute the recovery actions to restore the level of communications to the one or more powered elements in the set of powered elements over the set of primary communication channels coupled to the primary communication controller in each of the one or more powered elements.