Patent ID: 6868445

Claim:
A method of performing maintenance on a network access server having associated channels carrying incoming digital or analog traffic, the network access server being operatively coupled with a service request switch, the method comprising: determining whether off-line maintenance is needed on a network access server and if so then communicating a busy condition of any unused associated channel from the network access server to the service request switch; monitoring any used associated channel for either of a digital and an analog call thereon and waiting until the used associated channel becomes substantially unused as indicated by defined digital and analog signaling protocols comprehended by said monitoring, and migrating any existing calls to other network access servers without disconnection to the end user; when the used associated channel becomes substantially unused as indicated by such defined digital and analog signaling protocols comprehended by said monitoring, communicating a busy condition of such then-unused channel from the network access server to the service request switch; signaling that maintenance on the network access server can be performed; and automatically routing any new client service requests that may arrive during a busy condition of the network access server to another network access server operatively coupled with the service request switch.