Hot-swappable hardware for wireless microwave links

A system that is configured for supporting replacing circuitry during active operations, the system comprising:

• an antenna configured for transmitting and/or receiving signals;
• and
• one or more circuits for handling processing of signals transmitted and/or received via the antenna;
• wherein, during a replacement sequence performed during active communications with a link peer:
• a replacement circuit is added into the system, with a corresponding circuit being replaced from the one or more circuits, actively handling signals communicated with the link peer;
• at a first stage, the replacement circuit handles a first subset of the signals communicated with the link peer, and the circuit being replaced handles a second subset of the signals communicated with the link peer, wherein signals of the first subset of signals and signals of the second subset of signals differ based on at least one signal related attribute;
• at a second stage, after ensuring that the replacement circuit is operating correctly, the replacement circuit handles all signals communicated with the peer link, including both of the first subset and the second subset of the signals;
• and
• the circuit being replaced is configured for removal.