Patent ID: 8547828

Claim:
A method comprising: communicatively coupling a first network element to a second network element via a first path of a first point-to-point network; communicatively coupling the first network element to a third network element via a second path of the first-point-to-point network; communicatively coupling the second network element to a fourth network element via a first path of a second point-to-point network; communicatively coupling the third network element to the fourth network element via a second path of the second point-to-point network, wherein each of the first, second, third and fourth network elements comprises a plurality of network interfaces and a switching element coupling the plurality of network interfaces; and configuring the first path and the second path of the first point-to-point network as paths of a first linear protected switching connection and the first path and the second path of the second point-to-point network as paths of a second linear protected switching connection such that traffic associated with a service and communicated between the first network element and the fourth network element via the first path of the first point-to-point network and the first path of the second point-to-point network may be switched over to the second path of the first point-to-point network and the second path of the second point-to-point network in response to an event.