Patent ID: 8391707

Claim:
A system comprising: a plurality of switching devices, a first switching device, of the plurality of switching devices, being connected to a second switching device, of the plurality of switching devices, by a plurality of signal paths, and the first switching device being to: receive, from another device, an instruction to switch from a first path, of the plurality of signal paths, to a second path, of the plurality of signal paths, the first path being different from the second path, and the instruction including timing information, and perform, based on the instruction and at a time specified by the timing information, a first switching operation to connect the first path, at an input of the first switching device, to the second path, at an output of the first switching device; and the second switching device being to: receive, from the other device, the instruction to switch from the first path to the second path, detect a loss of signal on the first path as a result of the first switching operation performed by the first switching device, and perform, based on the loss of signal, a second switching operation to connect the first path, at an output of the second switching device, to the second path, at an input of the second switching device.