Patent ID: 7869376

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving, with a user-to-network interface (UNI) port of a network interface device, first packets from a node of a local network, the node being physically distinct from the network interface device; modifying, using the network interface device, the received first packets to be compatible with a transport service comprising two or more physical links and having at least two endpoints, one of the endpoints being located on the network interface device and wherein the node of the local network is not part of the transport service; forwarding, utilizing the transport service and the network interface device, the modified first packets to a remote network associated with another one of the endpoints via a network-to-network interface (NNI) port of the network interface device; receiving, using the network interface device, second packets via the transport service and the NNI port of the network interface device; modifying, using the network interface device, the second packets so the second packets are no longer part of the transport service and then forwarding the modified second packets to the node of the local network; accessing, using the network interface device, information describing an operational state of the transport service; and sending, using the network interface device, a packet conveying the information describing the operational state of the transport service to the node of the local network through the UNI port.