Abstract: A recovery facility is provided for a system network architecture (SNA) communication system employed by a computer network. The recovery facility includes bringing up a backup processor upon detection of failure at an existing processor in the SNA network, wherein both the failing processor and the backup processor support a multi-link transmission group (TG). After bringing up the backup processor, a new communication link is activated between the backup processor and an existing SNA communications controller previously linked to the failing processor. Processing is performed to ensure that the SNA communications controller recognizes the new communication linked to the backup processor as a same subarea address, a same virtual route and a same TG number as the previous link to the failing processor, thereby accomplishing substitution of the backup processor for the failing processor in the SNA communications network without requiring restarting of the entire network.