Patent ID: 7848323

Claim:
A method for transporting data packets in a network, comprising: receiving subframes entering the network from an ingress node, wherein the subframes have a first forwarding path when entering the network; analyzing, by the ingress node, the first forwarding path of the subframes, wherein the first forwarding path of the subframes includes the ingress node of the subframes, an egress node of the subframes and intermediate nodes between the ingress node and the egress node; wherein the egress node is the node from which the subframes exit the network, the intermediate nodes are the nodes through which the subframes pass from the ingress node to the egress node; encapsulating, by the ingress node, the subframes that have the same ingress node, the same egress node and the same intermediate nodes into a first multiframe; wherein the same intermediate nodes include a first intermediate node, a second intermediate node, a third intermediate node between the ingress node and the first intermediate node, a fourth intermediate node between the second intermediate node and the egress node, a fifth intermediate node between the first intermediate node and the second intermediate node; transporting the first multiframe from the ingress node to the first intermediate node via the third intermediate node; receiving, at the first intermediate node, a second multiframe, the second multiframe have a second forwarding path that includes the first intermediate node, the second intermediate node and the third intermediate node; encapsulating, at the first intermediate node, the first multiframe with the second multiframe so as to form a secondary multiframe; transporting the secondary multiframe from the first intermediate node to the second intermediate node via the fifth intermediate node; de-encapulating, at the second intermediate node, the first multiframe and the second multiframe from the secondary multiframe; transporting the first multiframe from the second intermediate node to the egress node via the fourth intermediate node; and de-encapsulating, at the egress node, the first multiframe into the subframes having the first forwarding path.