Systems and methods for utilizing protection paths

A method of utilizing protection paths of network, the method comprising:

• determining, from among a plurality of connection identifications (IDs), connection IDs that share identical protection paths and share a resource trail of a network, each of the plurality of the connection IDs is associated with a working path of the network;
• assigning the determined plurality of connection IDs to a group with an associated group identification (ID);
• storing the group ID and the determined plurality of connection IDs in a first node of the network;
• receiving, at the first node, a first message regarding a first failure in a first working path of the network;
• receiving, at the first node, a second message regarding a second failure in a second working path of the network;
• determining, from the stored group ID and the determined plurality of connection IDs, a group ID associated with both the connection ID of the first working path and the connection ID of the second working path;
• and
• transmitting a third message, that includes the group ID associated with both the connection ID of the first working path and the connection ID of the second working path, that indicates that the protection paths associated with the first working path and the second working path are to be provisioned.