Patent ID: 8761005

Claim:
A data network, comprising: a client device adapted to send and receive data over the network; and a plurality of separate aggregation devices coupled to each other and coupled to the client device via links within a first link aggregation group (LAG) across the plurality of separate aggregation devices, wherein the plurality of separate aggregation devices are adapted to appear to the client device as a single device coupled thereto and are adapted to work in conjunction with each other by assigning at least one different identifier to each of the plurality of separate aggregation devices and storing information including the identifiers to association tables located on each of the plurality of separate aggregation devices; wherein the links comprise: one or more first links coupling a first aggregation device of the separate aggregation devices to the client device and forming a second LAG; and one or more second links coupling a second aggregation device of the separate aggregation devices to the client device and forming a third LAG; wherein a first association table of the association tables in the first aggregation device includes an entry associating the second LAG with the third LAG, the third LAG acting as a backup LAG when the second LAG goes down.