Patent ID: 7602703

Claim:
A method for protecting a connection between a multi-service platform and a local area network (LAN), comprising: providing first and second LAN cards in the multi-service platform, wherein the first and second LAN cards are each coupled to the LAN over separate links; providing a switch fabric in the multi-service platform, the switch fabric operable to switch traffic having a synchronous optical network format for communication over a synchronous optical network to which the multi-service platform is coupled, the switch fabric coupled to the first LAN card and the second LAN card; receiving traffic at the first and second LAN cards via the links; formatting the received traffic in the synchronous optical network format; communicating the synchronous optical network formatted traffic between the first and second LAN cards via the switch fabric; selecting, at the first LAN card, between the received traffic via the link coupling the first LAN card to the LAN and the traffic received via the second LAN card based on which traffic is active; selecting, at the second LAN card, between the received traffic via the link coupling the second LAN card to the LAN and the traffic received via the first LAN card based on which traffic is active; and establishing protection for traffic communicated between the LAN and the first LAN card by aggregating the links between the first and second LAN cards and the LAN.