Method and apparatus for managing the interconnection between network domains

A method of managing an interconnect region between a first network domain and a second network domain, the interconnect region comprising a first network element and a second network element connecting the interconnect region to the first network domain and a plurality of links extending between the first network domain and the second network domain, the method comprising:

• establishing a control protocol instance in the interconnect region, the control protocol instance allowing at most one link of the plurality of links extending between the first network domain and the second network domain to be selected as an active link for a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) with remaining links being inactive for the VLAN;
• establishing an Operation, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) management entity between the first network element and the second network element;
• transmitting a plurality of OAM frames by the first network element on the OAM management entity over the active link between the first network domain and the second network domain, the plurality of OAM frames being addressed to the second network element;
• monitoring the plurality of OAM frames at the second network element;
• and
• determining that at least one of the plurality of OAM frames received at the second network element is one of the plurality of OAM frames transmitted by the first network element, administratively disabling a link over which the at least one OAM frame was received by the second network element.