Patent ID: 7876674

Claim:
A media gateway controller, comprising: means within a media gateway controller for implementing a shared risk group package, wherein said shared risk group package defines the following properties: an include shared risk group property that specifies if one of the shared risk groups is to be used to establish one of the connections within a media gateway; a shared risk group identity request property that specifies an identity of one of the shared risk groups; and an assigned shared risk group identity property that specifies an identity of one of the shared risk groups that has been allocated by said media gateway controller, wherein said media gateway controller sends to said media gateway, when said multiple connections include a primary link and a secondary link, a command that the shared risk group property is “on” and shared risk group identity request property is “x” wherein “x” specifies a particular shared risk group that is to be used when said media gateway establishes the primary link; and said media gateway controller sends to said media gateway a command that the shared risk group property is “off” and the shared risk group identity request property is “x” which specifies that the media gateway is to establish the secondary link by using a shared risk group other than the shared risk group “x” that is being used by the primary link.