Patent ID: 8493844

Claim:
A method of reconfiguring a packet-switched communications network, comprising: providing a first network using a first network protocol; providing a second network using a second network protocol differing from the first network protocol; providing a first and second redundant data links, wherein only one data link is activated for a data exchange, wherein the first redundant data link is initialized as active and the second redundant data link is initialized as inactive; detecting a failure of the first redundant data link by a first bridge of the second network, the first bridge being connected to the first redundant data link; generating a first data packet by the first bridge; transmitting the first data packet by the first bridge to a second bridge of the second network, the second bridge being connected to the second redundant data link; receiving the first data packet by the second bridge; and processing the first data packet by the second bridge, wherein the first data packet contains logical information which initiates at least partial execution of the first network protocol on a port of the second bridge and activation of the second redundant data link by the first network protocol, wherein the method, further comprises: detecting a restoration of the failed first redundant data link by the first bridge; generating a second data packet by the first bridge; transmitting the second data packet by the first bridge to the second bridge of the second network; receiving the second data packet by the second bridge; processing the second data packet by the second bridge, wherein the second data packet contains logical information which initiates an at least partial termination of the execution of the first network protocol on the port of the second bridge or a termination of the transmission of configuration frameworks via the second redundant data link; activating the first redundant data link; and inactivating the second redundant data links.