US Patent 7813271 Aggregated link traffic protection

A network component comprising a processor configured to implement a method comprising communicating a data stream to a destination over a plurality of links, the data stream comprising a high priority data and a plurality of low priority data, wherein the high priority data is duplicated over at least two of the links, and wherein the low priority data is distributed over at least some of the links. Also disclosed is a method comprising receiving a plurality of data streams, each data stream comprising a high priority data and a low priority data, wherein each data stream is received on one of a plurality of links in an aggregated link, and wherein the high priority data in each data stream is substantially identical.