Patent ID: 8199639

Claim:
A method of providing path protection in a bridge network formed by layer-2 switches connected together, comprising: setting a working path and a protection path by identifying, as a single path, a set of a control-purpose virtual network identifier and at least one virtual network identifier that are assigned to one or more users at a section defined as a point-to-point connection in a virtual network; exchanging a control protocol both in the working path and in the protection path; causing a main signal to flow through one of the working path and the protection path based on information contained in the exchanged control protocol; and switching between the working path and the protection path upon detecting a fault in either one of the working path and the protection path, said detection of the fault occurring after the step of exchanging a control protocol both in the working path and in the protection path, the control protocol having a function to check connectivity of both the working path and the protection path.