Patent ID: 7219147

Claim:
A method of effecting protection control for use in a communication network including a bidirectional line-switched ring (BLSR) composed of a plurality of synchronous optical network (SONET) apparatuses connected to one another to form a ring, and a resilient packet ring (RPR) apparatus being connected to one of the plurality of SONET apparatuses so that the plurality of SONET apparatuses and the RPR apparatus configure a RPR network, each of the BLSR and the RPR network having an independent protection function such that a signal path is switched from a working line to a redundantly-provided-protection line when any failure is brought about in the working line, the method comprising the steps of: deactivating the protection function of the RPR network when a ring switching of the BLSR is activated; and deactivating the ring switching of the BLSR when the protection function of the RPR network is activated.