Abstract: Described is a method for propagating the fault information on a Resilient Packet Ring network, wherein each Resilient Packet Ring network element sends periodically a keep-alive message containing the fault information to its neighbor elements on both the ringlet directions, in order to inform the neighbor elements that the network element is working or to propagate the information about the detected fault. Once that a fault notification is propagated, every network element has to wait some time before undertaking the necessary steps in order to be sure that the fault notification is persistent.

Abstract: Described is a method extending the OAM functionality in the RPR networks through a new OAM loopback procedure of request-reply type together with the definition of a new RPR OAM loopback frame. The OAM loopback function allows any RPR station to check the reachability of another RPR station. It is not necessary to stop any data traffic communication on the network in order to perform this function.