Patent ID: 8462636

Claim:
A network element comprising: one or more network interfaces including, in an aggregate, a plurality of physical ports configured as member ports of a link aggregation group; a master control unit communicatively coupled to the one or more network interfaces and configured to: maintain a routing table, such routing table including information regarding which of the plurality of physical ports of the link aggregation group is designated as an active port for management traffic egressing via the link aggregation group, wherein the active port carries a communication channel for the management traffic segregated from carrier traffic and is one of a plurality of member ports of the link aggregation group that are alive; and communicate the routing table to each of the one or more network interfaces; and a switch fabric communicatively coupled to the one or more network interfaces and having a link aggregation agent configured to: determine which member ports of the link aggregation group are alive; select one of the member ports determined to be alive as the active port for management traffic egressing via the link aggregation group; and communicate identity of the selected active port to the network interface having the active port; wherein the network interface having the active port is configured to, in response to the communication of the identity of the selected active port from the link aggregation agent, communicate the identity of the selected active port to the master control unit.