in a packet - switched network having a plurality of nodes interconnected by links , pre - defined protection paths provide protection of a selected plurality of links . adjacent nodes connected by a protected link are adapted to detect a failure of the protected link , to encapsulate packets within tunnel packets , to differentiate between tunnel packets and non - tunnel packets and to exchange the tunnel packets via a protection path rather than via the failed link . this results in faster automatic protection switching of packet - based traffic . the invention is particularly suited to an internet protocol network .