Fault tolerant communication in a trill network

A method, comprising:

• implementing, on each of first and second bridges of a data network having respective external links to a common external node, a network bridge component that forwards traffic inside the data network and a virtual bridge component that forwards traffic outside of the data network;
• forming a virtual bridge including the virtual bridge components of the first and second bridges and an interswitch link (ISL) between the virtual bridge components of the first and second bridges;
• in response to a link-down event for an external link among the external links to the common external node and a threshold number of downed links among the external links not being satisfied, redirecting data frames egressing the data network without reporting a link-down condition to the data network, such that the data frames egress the data network via the first bridge, the ISL and the second bridge;
• and
• in response to a link-down event for the external link and the threshold number of downed links being satisfied, the first bridge communicating, to the data network, a link-down condition between the network bridge component of the first bridge and the virtual bridge component of the first bridge to cause redirection of the data frames egressing the data network from the first bridge to the second bridge.