Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)

Alberto Bianchi

Francesco Testa

Fabio Cavaliere

Filippo Ponzini

Piero Castoldi

Nicola Andriolli

Pier Giorgio Raponi

Antonella Bogoni

Luca Poti

Marco Romagnoli

Vito Sorianello

Pierpaolo Ghiggino

Philippe Velha

Antony Thorley

A network () for a data center is disclosed. The network comprises computing resources (), storage resources (), and a switching apparatus (). The switching apparatus () comprises a plurality of electrical switching components () configured to provide packet switching for traffic between computing resources or between computing and storage resources, and an optical switching fabric () configured to select an electrical switching component to provide packet switching between computing resources () and to provide connectivity between the plurality of electrical switching components () and the computing and storage resources (). Also disclosed is a method () for configuring a Virtual Performance Optimised Data Center (vPOD) in a network. The method comprises assigning computing resources of the network to the vPOD (), assigning storage resources of the network to the vPOD () and assigning at least one of a plurality of electrical switching components of the network to provide packet switching for traffic between the computing resources of the vPOD or between the computing and storage resources of the vPOD (). The method further comprises interconnecting the assigned computing and storage resources and the assigned at least one of a plurality of electrical switching components using an optical switching fabric ().

Network and method for a data center

A wavelength selective optical switching arrangement () comprises a set of input ports (), a set of output ports (); a switching matrix; and a plurality of de-multiplexers each comprising an aggregate port () and a plurality of tributary ports (), each aggregate port being connected to an input port and each tributary port being connected to the switching matrix (), the switching matrix being coupled between the tributary ports and the output ports. The wavelength selective optical switching arrangement is configured to receive at an input port a group of optical signals, each optical signal being transmitted on a different wavelength and being assigned to one of a plurality of destination nodes. The wavelength selective optical switching arrangement is further configured to de-multiplex the group of optical signals in a said demultiplexer; re-group the optical signals into destination groups according to their destination node; and route each destination group to a respective output port assigned to the destination group.

Optical switch

There is provided an optical switch. The optical switch comprises a first optical waveguide, a second optical waveguide, a first optical ring resonator and a second optical ring resonator. The first optical ring resonator is arranged between the first optical waveguide and the second optical waveguide, wherein the first optical ring resonator is capable of coupling an optical signal travelling along the first optical waveguide in a first direction to the second optical waveguide such that the optical signal travels in a second direction along the second optical waveguide. The second optical ring resonator is arranged between the first optical waveguide and the second optical waveguide; wherein the second optical ring resonator is capable of coupling an optical signal travelling along the first optical waveguide in the first direction to the second optical waveguide such that the optical signal travels in a third direction along the second optical waveguide opposite to the second direction. There is also provided an optical network node and an optical network.

Optical switch, an optical network node and an optical network

An optical switch, comprising: a first optical waveguide, a first optical add path, a second optical add path and a micro-ring resonator. The micro-ring resonator is operable to add a first optical signal at a preselected wavelength received from the first optical add path to the first optical waveguide to travel in a first direction through the first optical waveguide. The micro-ring resonator is further operable to add a second optical signal at the preselected wavelength received from the second optical add path to the first optical waveguide to travel in a second direction through the first optical waveguide opposite to the first direction. There is also provided an optical drop switch, an optical switching apparatus, an optical communications network node and an optical communications network.

Optical switch, an optical switching apparatus, an optical communications network node and an optical communications network

A node () for a single fiber bidirectional WDM optical ring network has a first optical protection switch () having first and second ports for coupling to the single fiber bidirectional ring, while providing a pass through optical path for wavelengths on the bidirectional ring. A further port is coupled to an external optical path. In operation the switch couples optically bidirectional selected wavelengths between the external optical path and either of the first and second ports selectively, according to an indication of a fault on the ring, so as to use different portions of the bidirectional ring respectively as working path and protection path. This combines coupling wavelengths with the ring, with the selection of protection or working path, which simplifies the optical equipment, and upstream and downstream optical delays can be symmetrical.

WDM single fiber ring protection

An optical switch has four optical ports; a first optical waveguide coupled between a first of said ports and a second of the ports; a first switch element provided between the first waveguide and a second optical waveguide that is coupled to a third of the ports; a second switch element provided between the first waveguide and a third optical waveguide that is coupled to a fourth of the ports. Each switch element has a micro-ring resonator having an active state in which it is coupled to the first waveguide and to a respective one of the second and third waveguides for optical signals at a preselected wavelength, and an inactive state in which no coupling occurs. Each switch element has a control element arranged to receive a respective control signal configured to cause it to switch the micro-ring resonator between said states.

Optical switch, optical switch apparatus and node, and communication network

The invention relates in general to a method, an apparatus and a unit for operating a Wavelength Division Multiplexing Access Network, and in particular to unbundling wavelengths in the network. Embodiments of the invention disclose monitoring a plurality of wavelengths of the Wavelength Division Multiplexing Access Networkto determine at least one available wavelength that is free for use. The transmitter then automatically transmits data to at least one user devicevia at least one available wavelength.

Apparatus and method for operating a wavelength division multiplexing access network

A method () of configuring a synchronous optical switch to route received data cells. The synchronous optical switch comprises optical switch transmitter modules, each comprising tunable optical transmitters, optical switch receiver modules, each comprising optical receivers, and optical connections between the transmitter modules and receiver modules. For each optical switch transmitter module, the method: assigns () wavelengths associated with the received data cells to the transmitters such that each wavelength is assigned to a different transmitter; and generates () a control signal for controlling the operating wavelength of each transmitter. For each wavelength, the method: allocates () to each transmitter an optical connection such that each optical switch transmitter module has no more than one connection exiting it at said wavelength and each optical receiver module has no more than one connection entering it at said wavelength; and generates () a control signal for connecting each transmitter to the respective optical connection.

Configuring synchronous optical switches

A synchronous packet switch comprises output modules, input modules, optical connections and a switch control unit. The output modules comprise optical receivers each configured to receive optical signals at a different wavelength. The input modules receive electric signals carrying data cells to be routed. Each input module comprises optical transmitters, each configurable to generate an optical signal at a different wavelength, and routing apparatus comprising output ports. Each output module has at least one output port allocated to it. The routing apparatus is configurable to route a received optical signal to a selected output port. The optical connections are arranged to couple output ports to respective output modules. The switch control unit controls routing of the optical signals from the transmitters to the output modules and generates a routing control signal for configuring the routing apparatus to route an optical signal from a transmitter to a selected output port.

Growing community of inventors

Pisa, Italy

Alberto Bianchi