Meriton Networks US Inc.

Lucent Technologies Inc.

Meriton Netowrks US Inc.

Paul Bonenfant

Xiaowen Mang

Leah L Zhang

Manjunath Sampangi

Antonio Rodriguez-Moral

Ravichandran Iyer

Jefferson L Wagener

Thomas Andrew Strasser

James E Ballintine

Per Bang Hansen

Torben N Nielsen

George W Newsome

Ken R Roberts

Kenneth R Roberts

Jefferson L Wagner

A technique for allocating protection-switching mechanisms operates on a per wavelength basis. This allows a designer of an optical network to select a particular protection switching mechanism for a given traffic type, which is usually specific to a particular wavelength in an optical network. For another traffic type, the designer can allocate a different protection switching mechanism, thereby providing optimal protection switching for each traffic type.

Method and apparatus for providing multiple optical channel protection switching mechanisms in optical rings

In a WDM optical communication system that includes a plurality of nodes interconnected by communication links, a node is provided that includes a first plurality of transponders each generating and/or receiving an information-bearing optical signal at a different channel wavelength from one another. An optical coupling arrangement, which may include one or more reconfigurable optical switches, transfers the channel wavelengths between a link connected to the node and the first plurality of transponders. The arrangement is adaptable to reconfigure its operational state to selectively direct different ones of the channel wavelengths from the link to different ones of the transponders without disturbing the optical path through the node traversed by any other channel wavelengths. A communications and configuration arrangement is provided, which transfers data identifying the respective channel wavelengths at which the transponders operate from the transponders to the optical coupling arrangement. In response to the transferred data, the communications and configuration arrangement reconfigures the operational state of the optical coupling arrangement.

Method and apparatus for interconnecting a plurality of optical transducers with a wavelength division multiplexed optical switch

In a WDM optical communication system that includes a plurality of nodes interconnected by communication links, a node is provided that includes a reconfigurable optical switch having a plurality of input ports and at least one output port. The node also includes a plurality of transmitters that are each coupled to one of the input ports of the optical switch. Each of the transmitters generate an information-bearing optical signal at a different channel wavelength from one another. The reconfigurable optical switch is adaptable to receive at any of the input ports any of the channel wavelengths at which the plurality of transmitters operate and direct the channel wavelengths to the output port. At least one backup transmitter is coupled to one of the input ports of the optical switch. The backup transmitter includes a tunable laser tunable to any of the channel wavelengths at which the plurality of transmitters operate. The reconfigurable optical switch includes at least one wavelength selective element that selects at least one channel wavelength from among any of the channel wavelengths received at any of the input ports. The switch also includes a plurality of optical elements associated with the wavelength selective elements, Each of the optical elements direct one of the selected channel wavelengths selected by the associated wavelength selective element to the output port independently from every other channel wavelength. The selected channel wavelengths directed to the output port are combined on the output port.

Wavelength division multiplexed optical communication system having a reconfigurable optical switch and a tunable backup laser transmitter

A method for merging protection switching messages in an optical network enables a control of the amount of message bandwidth used for sending protection switching messages. A method for performing protection switching in an optical network does so in an optimal manner by performing the protection switching actions in the various nodes of a protection path in parallel rather than in sequence. To do so, a channel failure message is transmitted from an end node A in the optical network upon detecting a failure in a link in the optical network that includes the end node A. If a failure can be detected at both end nodes, the channel failure messages are transmitted from both end nodes the moment they detect failure without any further waiting. Upon receiving the first channel failure message regardless its originating end node, switching actions in intermediate nodes are initiated. The channel failure messages are forwarded from the intermediate nodes to their corresponding next nodes before completing switching actions in the intermediate nodes. When receiving channel failure response messages, these messages are forwarded to a next node from the intermediate node only after switching actions are complete in the intermediate node.

Method and apparatus for processing protection switching mechanism in optical channel shared protection rings

A method for performing protection switching in an optical network does so in an optimal manner by performing the protection switching actions in the various nodes of a protection path in parallel rather than in sequence. To do so, a channel failure message is transmitted from an end node A in the optical network upon detecting a failure in a link in the optical network that includes the end node A. If a failure can be detected at both end nodes, the channel failure messages are transmitted from both end nodes the moment they detect failure without any further waiting. Upon receiving the first channel failure message regardless its originating end node, switching actions in intermediate nodes are initiated. The channel failure messages are forwarded from the intermediate nodes to their corresponding next nodes before completing switching actions in the intermediate nodes. When receiving channel failure response messages, these messages are forwarded to a next node from the intermediate node only after switching actions are complete in the intermediate node. A technique for merging messages in nodes is also disclosed.

Optical automatic protection switching mechanism for optical channel shared protection rings

A so-called digital &ldquo;wrapper&rdquo; is employed in conjunction with an optical channel client signal payload envelope to carry optical channel associated optical channel overhead. That is, the digital wrapper transports optical channel associated optical channel overhead and other monitoring information. This is realized by adding additional capacity, i.e., bandwidth, to the client signal payload envelope. The additional capacity is added &ldquo;around&rdquo; the payload envelope and the client signal floats in the payload envelope. This is effected in such a manner that the digital wrapper is independent of the type of client signal that is being transported on the optical channel. Indeed, as such the optical payload envelope is essentially a client optical signal independent, constant bit-rate channel. Moreover, in addition to the digital wrapper providing capacity for the optical channel overhead, it can also be employed to provide a forward error correction capability. Additionally, the added digital wrapper readily provides access for performance monitoring and, especially, access to electrical BER (bit error rate).

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

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.

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Ocean, NJ, United States of America

Paul Bonenfant