A method for incorporating a non-redundant component in a redundant system
in a communications network, the redundant system having first and second
redundant components providing first and second data streams and activity
signals, respectively, the activity signals indicating which of the first
and second data streams is an active data stream, the first and second
data streams being unsynchronized, the method comprising: determining
whether an activity switch has occurred from the activity signals;
responsive to the determining, selecting an input data stream from among
the first and second data streams; filtering the selected input data
stream to produce an output data stream by nullifying any incorrect
control information inserted into a packet in the input data stream due
to the selecting; and, providing the output data stream to the
non-redundant component.