Proactive path computation element to accelerate path computation

Abstract

A method performed at a controller of an optical network configured with an optical path comprising a series of fiber spans for forwarding traffic: as a background operation to forwarding the traffic along the optical path, generating and storing precomputed optical paths as alternates to the optical path for path restoration by simulating some number of faults impacting the optical path; upon receiving, from the optical network, a path restoration query that indicates actually failed fiber spans, determining availability of a precomputed optical path that avoids the actually failed fiber spans; and when the precomputed optical path is available, sending, to the optical network, a first descriptor of the precomputed optical path to enable a deployment of the precomputed optical path. The method drastically reduces the time of alternate path research in complex meshed networks.