Patent ID: 7142640

Claim:
A system comprising: a test and control system including a first input coupled to a technician terminal, a first output to send a command signal to an automated circuit switchover system within a telephone central office and a second output coupled to a switchable protection circuit; and wherein the switchable protection circuit is remotely located from the telephone central office and coupled to the telephone central office via a communication link, the switchable protection circuit supporting a plurality of active individual communication lines and an unused spare communication line, each of the active individual communication lines configured to support communication of traffic from end user subscribers supported by the active individual communications lines connected to the switchable protection circuit to the telephone central office, the switchable protection circuit responsive to the test and control system and including logic to respond to a specific command sent from the test and control system via the second output to switch a selected one of the plurality of active individual communication lines to the unused spare communication line and to activate the spare communication line in response to the specific command to support communications traffic over the spare communication line.