Patent ID: 6992975

Claim:
A method comprising: (a) receiving frames from a plurality of ring networks at a single network element; (b) monitoring said frames at a single network element for a condition indicative of a failure in one of said plurality of ring networks; (c) detecting a failure in one of said plurality of ring networks, wherein said detecting said failure comprises reading a portion of a first frame; (d) determining which ring network among said plurality of ring networks is failing, wherein a first one of said ring networks is said failing ring network; (e) providing said portion of said first frame to a first one of a plurality of tasks, in response to said determining, wherein said first one of the plurality of tasks corresponds to said first one of said ring networks, and said frame is received from said first one of said ring networks; (f) providing a portion of a second frame to a second one of a plurality of tasks, in response to determining that a second one of said ring networks is failing, wherein said second one of the plurality of tasks corresponds to said second one of said ring networks, and said second frame is received from said second one of said ring networks; and (g) rerouting frames of the first one of said ring networks in response to detecting that said first ring network is a failing ring network, wherein said rerouting is performed by said first one of said tasks.