Lucent Technologies Inc.

George W Newsome

Robert William Tkach

Andrew Roman Chraplyvy

John L Zyskind

Paul Bonenfant

James E Ballintine

John C Ellson

Optical channel overhead information for individual optical channels is transported in a message based channel on an optical supervisory channel. Specifically, this is realized by obtaining performance monitoring, and/or performance measurement, and/or operations, and/or administration, and/or maintenance information, and/or the like for the individual ones of one or more optical channels, formatting the obtained information into a message for each individual optical channel and inserting the resulting message(s) into an optical supervisory channel to be transported on the OTN. In one embodiment of the invention, particular overhead information is formatted into a message and controllably inserted into the optical supervisory channel at a prescribed optical network element to be transported on the OTN. In another embodiment of the invention, particular overhead information is formatted into a message and controllably inserted into the optical supervisory channel at a prescribed optical network element to be transported on the OTN to a node including the capability to insert the overhead information into channel associated optical channel overhead to be transported to a network element at which it may be removed. Additionally, overhead information transported in channel associated optical channel overhead may be extracted, formatted into a message and inserted in a message based channel in the OSC. The OSC transports the optical channel overhead to a particular node not equipped for associated overhead insertion or removal, where it is extracted form the OSC and used as desired.

Apparatus and method for providing optical channel overhead in optical transport networks

A system and method of protecting all the amplifiers in a link between wavelength routing network elements of an optical network. According to the invention, an optical control channel is added before a plurality of optical amplifier, preferably the first amplifier, in a link. To prevent improper loading of downstream links, the control channel is stripped off at the next wavelength routing network element. The power of the control channel is automatically adjusted using a fast feedback circuit to hold substantially constant the total power of the signal channels and the control channel at the input of the first amplifier following the feedback loop. In this manner, channel loading of all optical amplifiers in the link is maintained substantially constant, and the incidence of error bursts, as might otherwise result when one or more channels are added or dropped due to a network fault or reconfiguration, is substantially reduced.

System and method for mitigating cross-saturation in optically amplified

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Freehold Township, NJ, United States of America

George W Newsome