Patent ID: 8619597

Claim:
A method for transmitting data in a layer two network having layer three routing capabilities, the method comprising: receiving the data by a layer two switching component of a multi service platform, the data specifying an initial routing path extending from the layer two switching component of the multi service platform through the layer two network; detecting a failure of the initial routing path of the data that extends from the layer two switching component of the multi service platform through the layer two network; transmitting, via a physical loopback, the data from the layer two switching component of the multi service platform to a layer three switching component of the multi service platform in response to the detecting of the failure of the initial routing path; determining a new routing path for the data from the layer two switching component through the layer two network that is different than the initial routing path; updating the data to specify the new routing path; and returning, via the physical loopback, the data that specifies the new routing path from the layer three switching component back to the layer two switching component.