Ciena Corporation

Sebastien Gareau

Daniel Claude Perras

Marc Leclair

Andrew McCarthy

Eric Maniloff

Ronald Joseph Gagnon

Jeffery Thomas Nichols

David G Stuart

Michael Watford

Trevor John Ibach

James Tierney

Tim Norman

Rahim Amarsi

Timothy James Creasy

Richard Murray Wyatt

Alexander Young

Timothy L Norman

Anurag Prakash

Bashar Abdullah

Michael Hubbard

Manoj Verghese

Hugues Tournier

Xiaojin Liu

Steven Clarke

Gerald L Swinkels

Benard J Rhody

Jeffery Nichols

Andrew Mccarty

Marc W Leclair

Timothy Norman

David Stuart

Systems and methods include receiving () a plurality of symbols that are part of a defined Digital Signal Processing (DSP) frame for coherent optical communication, wherein the DSP frame structure has a messaging channel incorporated therein that includes a subset of the plurality of symbols; capturing () multiple samples of the messaging channel; and determining () a message in the messaging channel based on analysis of the multiple samples. The method can further include transmitting (), in the messaging channel, a reply to the message with the reply being repeated multiple times. The analysis is performed prior to Forward Error Correction (FEC) decoding on the data path.

Messaging channel in a coherent optical DSP frame

Systems and methods include receiving () blocks of data that has been Forward Error Correction (FEC) encoded via Open Forward Error Correction (OFEC) adaptation; decoding () the blocks of data; processing () checksum data that is included in padding data required in the OFEC adaptation, wherein the padding data is distributed across N rows of payload data; and determining () a location of any errors in the payload data based on the processed checksum data. The OFEC adaptation is for mapping the blocks of data into any of a FlexO structure, a ZR structure, and variants thereof, and the location of any errors can be used for error marking.

OpenFEC error marking

An optical module includes a transmitter assembly; a receiver assembly; and circuitry connected to the transmitter assembly and the receiver assembly, wherein the circuity is configured to, responsive to a test of delay in one or more of the transmitter assembly and the receiver assembly, store a delay value for one or more of the transmitter assembly and the receiver assembly, and, responsive to a query of the delay, provide the stored delay value for each of the transmitter assembly and the receiver assembly. The circuitry can be further configured to perform the test of delay via inserting an event that is used for timing detection at a corresponding receiver assembly.

Optical delay calibration of optical modules

A node includes circuitry configured to create a sequence of encoded blocks with the blocks including i) data blocks from a plurality of clients and ii) overhead blocks, insert one or more Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) fields representing client overhead in the overhead blocks, wherein each client has corresponding client overhead, and transmit the sequence of encoded blocks in an order.

Flexible ethernet operations, administration, and maintenance systems and methods

A ZR or ZR+ interface includes circuitry configured to receive one or more client signals; and circuitry configured to transmit the one or more client signals as an aggregate signal in a Flexible Ethernet (FlexE) format in one of a ZR format and a ZR+ format, including a mapping indicative of how the one or more client signals are one of multiplexed and subrated into the aggregate signal. The aggregate signal can have a rate that does not correspond to a standard Ethernet Physical Medium Dependent (PMD). The FlexE format can include a plurality of FlexE instances with at least one of the FlexE instances having calendar slots removed for a subrating application.

Subrating and multiplexing non-standard rates in ZR and ZR+ optical interfaces

Systems and methods for timing over a Metro Transport Networking (MTN) path include detecting a specific block in a stream of blocks, wherein each block is encoded based on a line code, and sampling an output of a clock to determine a timestamp reference based on detection of the specific block, and transmitting timing information based on the timestamp reference. The specific block can be a control block. The timing information can be transmitted via a Precision Time Protocol (PTP) message. The timing information can be transmitted via a plurality of subsequent specific blocks.

Distributing timing over metro transport networking

An optical interface includes circuitry configured to operate the optical interface at a first rate, subsequent to a requirement to suberate the optical interface to a second rate, determine which services are affected, signal a partial failure for the one or more affected services, and operate the optical interface at a second rate that is less than the first rate. The optical interface can be a Flexible Optical (FlexO) or ZR interface.

FlexO/ZR subrating and partial survivability

An asynchronous adaptation process includes receiving a first plurality of frames of a first interface group at a first rate, determining idle/stuffing data to be added in each of the first plurality of frames based on a second rate associated with a second plurality of frames of a second interface group, adding information about the idle/stuffing data in each frame of the first plurality of frames in a preceding frame, and transmitting the second plurality of frames of the second interface group with the idle/stuffing data included therein, wherein the second plurality of frames includes the first plurality of frames with the idle/stuffing data.

FlexO/ZR asynchronous adaptation using a variable length frame

Systems and methods include determining which services in a single Optical Transport Unit Cn (OTUCn) that is transmitted in an optical network via a plurality of optical carriers are affected by failed one or more optical carriers of the plurality of optical carriers; continuing to operate the single OTUCn with unaffected one or more optical carriers of the plurality of optical carriers; and adjusting some or all of the services from the failed one or more optical carriers to the unaffected one or more optical carriers.

Partial survivability for multi-carrier and multi-module optical interfaces

Systems and methods include receiving a plurality of symbols that are part of a defined Digital Signal Processing (DSP) frame for coherent optical communication, wherein the DSP frame structure has a messaging channel incorporated therein that includes a subset of the plurality of symbols; capturing multiple samples of the messaging channel; and determining a message in the messaging channel based on analysis of the multiple samples. The method can further include transmitting, in the messaging channel, a reply to the message with the reply being repeated multiple times. The analysis is performed prior to Forward Error Correction (FEC) decoding on the data path.

An optical module for use in an optical system is disclosed, the optical module implementing Precision Time Protocol (PTP) clock functionality therein. The optical module includes an electrical interface with the optical system; circuitry connected to the electrical interface and configured to implement a plurality of functions of functionality; an optical interface connected to the circuitry; and timing circuitry connected to the electrical interface and one or more of the plurality of functions, wherein the timing circuitry is configured to implement the PTP clock functionality.

Systems and methods for precise time synchronization with optical modules

A coherent optical modem includes an optical interface; and circuitry connected to the optical interface and configured to detect a first timing reference point in a transmit Digital Signal Processor (DSP) frame in a transmit direction from a first node to a second node, and detect a second timing reference point in a receive DSP frame in a receive direction from the second node to the first node, wherein the first timing reference point and the second timing reference point are determined based on a pattern in any DSP frame field including i) padding area, ii) a reserved area, and iii) a DSP Multi-Frame Alignment Signal (MFAS) area. The pattern can be input in select DSP frames for a time period that is greater than a time period for each DSP frame.

Precision time protocol using a coherent optical DSP frame

Time transfer systems and methods implemented in a first node steps of communicating a stream of encoded blocks with a second node; and communicating synchronization messages with the second node via a synchronization message channel in overhead associated with the stream of encoded blocks, wherein the synchronization messages are utilized for synchronization of a clock at the second node. Each block in the stream of encoded blocks can be one of a data block and an overhead block.

Time transfer systems and methods over a stream of Ethernet blocks

A switch system includes interface circuitry configured to ingress and egress clients each including a stream of encoded blocks; and switch circuitry configured to switch the clients between the interface circuitry based on block boundaries of the stream of encoded blocks. The stream of encoded blocks can include 64 b/66 b encoding. Each block in the stream of encoded blocks can be switched intact.

Flexible Ethernet switching systems and methods

Systems and methods include receiving blocks of data that has been Forward Error Correction (FEC) encoded via Open Forward Error Correction (OFEC) adaptation; decoding the blocks of data; processing Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) data that is included in padding data required in the OFEC adaptation, wherein the padding data is distributed across N rows of payload data; and determining a location of any errors in the payload data based on the processed CRC data. The OFEC adaptation is for mapping the blocks of data into any of a FlexO-x frame structure, a ZR frame structure, and variants thereof, and the location of any errors can be used for error marking.

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Ottawa, Canada

Sebastien Gareau