Patent ID: 7136583

Claim:
A system for communicating information from a first node to a second node on a transmission link between the nodes, the transmission link comprising a first ordinary transmitting medium and a second protecting transmitting medium, the information being transmitted from the first node to the second node using the first medium, and further comprising a control unit for commanding, in the case of a failure of the first medium, to start to transmit the information from the first node to the second node using the second medium, the control unit arranged to have a first time period elapsing from detection of a failure of the first medium until starting to transmit the information using the second medium, a user network being connected to the nodes and using the transmission link as an ordinary user link between two stations of the user network, the user network having a separate protecting user link and switching, when no information is received from the ordinary user link, to start to transmit information instead on the protecting user link, a second time period elapsing from detection that no information is received until starting to transmit the information using the protecting user link, wherein the means for switching are arranged so that the first time period is larger than the second period.