Patent ID: 8630188

Claim:
A device comprising: a plurality of links; and at least one processor to: define a link aggregation group (LAG) from two or more of the plurality of links, the LAG arranging two or more of the plurality of links into a logical port, monitor, during a first time period, a signal condition for a LAG link, of the two or more of the plurality of links in the LAG, disable the LAG link during a second time period when the signal condition is outside a signal threshold range associated with normal operation of the LAG link, the second time period occurring after the first time period, perform maintenance on the LAG link during the second time period, the at least one processor, when performing the maintenance on the LAG link, being further to: enable the LAG link to receive, during the second time period, first traffic, which is related to the maintenance, and second traffic, which is unrelated to the maintenance, enable the LAG link to transmit the first traffic and not the second traffic, and monitor transmission of the first traffic by the LAG link, and reactive the disabled LAG link based on a first occurring one of: the signal condition being within the signal threshold range with respect to the transmission of the first traffic during the second time period, or expiration of the second time period.