Patent ID: 8792337

Claim:
A method for providing an uplink over an access ring comprising access devices and at least one aggregation device, wherein each device of said access ring has ring interfaces connecting said device to neighbouring devices in said access ring, wherein one access device of said access ring is configured as a ring master device which sends connectivity check messages on both its ring interfaces around said access ring to itself to detect a connectivity failure in said access ring, wherein said ring master device changes a state of one of its ring interfaces depending on the detection result; the method comprising: transporting connectivity check messages around said access ring via a connectivity check message control Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) provided between aggregation devices of said at least one aggregation device; and sending by the ring master device of said access ring a spanning tree topology change notification via the connectivity check message control VLAN on both of its ring interfaces upon each change of a state of one of its ring interfaces performed in response to a detection result.