Patent ID: 8358584

Claim:
A method for communicating an alarm condition in a cross-connected network, the method comprising: providing a cross-connect having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side includes a plurality of input interface ports and the second side includes an output interface port, wherein data payloads received from each of the plurality of input interface ports of the first side are each multiplexed into respective associated timeslots allocated on the output interface port of the second side; detecting a fault on a first input interface port of the first side; and when a fault is detected on the first input interface port of the first side, but not detected on a second input interface port of the first side, transmitting a signal on the output interface port of the second side, the signal having a pre-defined alarm data pattern inserted into payload bits within one or more time slots associated with the first input interface port of the first side, wherein the signal having the pre-defined alarm data pattern is not inserted into payload bits within timeslots associated with the second input interface port of the first side.