Abstract: Systems and methods for remotely turning on and turning up a Raman amplifier are provided. In one embodiment, a method includes the step of turning on one or more Raman pumps of a Raman amplifier to a predetermined safe gain or power level. The method also includes determining an estimated loss along a fiber optic span of a link between adjacent nodes of an optical network. Responsive to the estimated loss being greater than a reach of an Optical Supervisory Channel (OSC) signal along the link, the method includes the step of adjusting the gain or power level of the one or more Raman pumps.

Abstract: Systems and methods for measuring accumulated power losses over a fiber link are described in the present disclosure. According to one embodiment, a method includes the step of measuring accumulated losses over a fiber link. The method also includes the step of at least partially compensating for the measured accumulated losses. In response to determining that there is a compensation shortfall with respect to the accumulated losses, the method includes the step of transmitting the compensation shortfall to one or more downstream controllers.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for controlling one or more optical amplifiers of a C+L band photonic line system of a telecommunications network in which C-band signals and L-band signals may be transmitted. In one implementation, a control device may include a processing device and a memory device configured to store a traffic managing module for controlling C-band and the L-band traffic in the photonic line system. The traffic managing module, when executed, may be configured to cause the processing device to calculate a gain correction profile based on a difference between a saved baseline transmission profile and a measured transmission profile of a surviving band of a photonic line system when another band of the photonic line system is missing or impacted. The traffic managing module is configured to apply the gain correction profile to a respective optical amplifier of the photonic line system to compensate for the difference.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for enabling degree-to-degree protection within an optical node, such as an Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (OADM) node or Reconfigurable Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (ROADM) node. According to an exemplary protection method, a step is executed for configuring two degree-to-degree fiber links between a first degree of the OADM node and a second degree of the OADM node. The method also includes designating a first degree-to-degree fiber link of the two degree-to-degree fiber links as a primary fiber link. Also, the method includes designating a second degree-to-degree fiber link of the two degree-to-degree fiber links as a protection fiber link configured for providing protection if a fiber break is detected on the primary fiber link.

Abstract: An optical node includes one or more Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (OADM) devices which each form a respective degree connected to an associated Optical Multiplex Section (OMS) section of a cascaded optical network including a plurality of OMS sections; and a channel holder source connected to the OADM devices, wherein the OADM device is configured to detect a local fault affecting one or more traffic signals and switch to the channel holder source to provide a respective channel holder the one or more traffic signals with a same power level and spectral location such that the respective channel holder replaces a respective traffic signal at the OADM device which is a first switching port after the fault and such that all other OADM devices at other optical nodes downstream from the fault remain switched to the one or more traffic signals due to a presence of the provided respective channel holder.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for reducing interference when optical signals are added. One embodiment includes a method for adding an optical channel for communicating data and having a bandwidth within an optical spectrum for transmission along an optical link of an optical network. The method includes creating a lower frequency holding zone having a lower frequency bandwidth adjacent to the bandwidth of the added optical channel and including at least one lower frequency sub-slice having a power spectral density that varies throughout the lower frequency sub-slice. Also, the method includes creating a higher frequency holding zone having a higher frequency bandwidth adjacent to the bandwidth of the added optical channel and including at least one higher frequency sub-slice having a power spectral density that varies throughout the higher frequency sub-slice. The lower frequency holding zone and the higher frequency holding zone are dynamically configured with respect to fiber and channel requirements.

Abstract: An Optical Protection Switch (OPS) includes a splitter connected to a transmitted input and a path continuity monitor transmitter and configured to output the transmitted input with a path continuity monitor signal to two paths; a switch connected to a receiver output and configured to provide one of two receiver inputs each from one of the two paths based on a setting of the switch; and one or more path continuity monitor receivers connected to the two receiver inputs and configured to detect a corresponding path continuity monitor signal from a complementary OPS, wherein the setting of the switch is set based upon the received path continuity monitor signals. The one or more path continuity monitor receivers each have a narrow optical bandwidth relative to an overall optical bandwidth of the transmitted input.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media are provided for performing channel swapping techniques for swapping bundles of optical channels in an optical network, such as a C+L band system, based on frequency band sensitivity. In one embodiment, a method includes swapping a first group of channels or first portion of spectrum in a more-sensitive frequency band with a first set of replacement channels or first portion of replacement spectrum using a first swapping technique. The method also includes swapping a second group of channels or second portion of spectrum in a less-sensitive frequency band with a second set of replacement channels or second portion of replacement spectrum using a second swapping technique that is different from the first swapping technique. The first and second swapping techniques are based at least in part on the number of channels or portion of spectrum that can be swapped at any given time instance.

Abstract: An optical network element includes an optical multiplexing/demultiplexing device forming a degree; a channel holder source connected to the optical multiplexing/demultiplexing device; and a controller configured to, responsive to provisioning a media channel on the degree, wherein the media channel is a contiguous portion of optical spectrum supporting N channels, N>1, cause allocation of optical filter bandwidth in the optical multiplexing/demultiplexing device for M channels in the media channel, M<N, cause provisioning of the M channels in the media channel, and cause configuration of N?M channel holders in the media channel from the channel holder source.

Abstract: An Optical Protection Switch (OPS) includes a splitter connected to a transmitted input and a path continuity monitor transmitter and configured to output the transmitted input with a path continuity monitor signal to two paths; a switch connected to a receiver output and configured to provide one of two receiver inputs each from one of the two paths based on a setting of the switch; and one or more path continuity monitor receivers connected to the two receiver inputs and configured to detect a corresponding path continuity monitor signal from a complementary OPS, wherein the setting of the switch is set based upon the received path continuity monitor signals. The one or more path continuity monitor receivers each have a narrow optical bandwidth relative to an overall optical bandwidth of the transmitted input.

Abstract: A controller for an optical network includes a network interface configured to communicate to one or more nodes in an optical network that includes a plurality of nodes interconnected by a plurality of links; a processor communicatively coupled to the network interface; and memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to obtain information related to a plurality of services that require spectrum assignment with each service given a time-constraint T for restoration to a restoration path and each service on its home route given a margin-constraint X dB for transients caused by restoring channels, classify each of the plurality of services in terms of viable paths in the optical network, restoration speed each viable path can tolerate, and re-tunability, and assign a home route and a restoration route, a restoration speed, and spectrum for each of the plurality of services based on priority.

Abstract: Systems and methods include, responsive to a request for capacity change of X channels, X is an integer>1, on an optical section and at an Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (OADM) node in an optical network, dividing optical spectrum on the optical section into M slots, M is an integer>1, such that the capacity change of X channels takes a maximum of N steps, N is an integer>1; and performing the capacity change of X channels in up to the N steps in an interleaved manner that changes a subset of the X channels in each of the N steps. For each step, the performing can include a maximum of M/N slots of the M slots with spacing between each of the M/N slots not used for the capacity change in a corresponding step. The spacing can be f, (N+f), (2N+f), . . . , M over the optical spectrum, where f is each step, f=1, 2, . . . , N.

Abstract: Systems and methods of optical restoration include, in an optical network with a photonic service operating between two nodes via an associated optical modem at each node, wherein each modem is capable of supporting variable capacity, C1, C2, . . . , CN where C1>C2> . . . >CN, detecting a fault on a home route of the photonic service while the photonic service operates at a home route capacity CH, CH is one of C1, C2, . . . , CN?1; downshifting the photonic service to a restoration route capacity CR, CR is one of C2, C2 . . . , CN and CR<CH; switching the photonic service from the home route to a restoration route while the photonic service operates at a restoration route capacity CR; and monitoring the photonic service during operation on the restoration route at the restoration route capacity CR for an upshift.

Abstract: An optical node includes one or more Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (OADM) devices which each form a respective degree connected to an associated Optical Multiplex Section (OMS) section of a cascaded optical network including a plurality of OMS sections; and a channel holder source connected to the OADM devices, wherein the OADM device is configured to detect a local fault affecting one or more traffic signals and switch to the channel holder source to provide a respective channel holder the one or more traffic signals with a same power level and spectral location such that the respective channel holder replaces a respective traffic signal at the OADM device which is a first switching port after the fault and such that all other OADM devices at other optical nodes downstream from the fault remain switched to the one or more traffic signals due to a presence of the provided respective channel holder.

Abstract: Systems and methods are implemented at an Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (OADM) node using virtual sections to provide sectional control over an optical link over a foreign-controlled optical network. The systems and methods include obtaining and storing a first power spectral density snapshot of an optical link, from an optical spectrum monitor and when the optical link is in a non-fault condition; responsive to detection of a fault on channels traversing the optical link, obtaining a second power spectral density snapshot at a receiving end of the optical link; analyzing the first power spectral density snapshot and the second power spectral density snapshot; and determining the fault is on the optical link based on the analyzing.

Abstract: Systems and methods are in a node in a network utilizing a control plane for triggering mesh restoration due to intra-node faults, and include monitoring at least one channel at a degree at a plurality of degrees associated with the node; detecting a fault on the at least one channel, wherein the fault is an intra-node fault upstream of the degree; and transmitting a channel fault indicator downstream of the fault to at least one downstream node along a path of the faulted channel, wherein restoration is triggered based on the channel fault indicator.

Abstract: Automatic optical link calibration systems and methods include, in an optical section with an Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer (OADM) multiplexer, an OADM demultiplexer, and zero or more in-line optical amplifiers between the OADM multiplexer and the OADM demultiplexer, wherein the optical section includes integrated measurement equipment, and wherein the OADM multiplexer and the OADM demultiplexer have a route and select architecture, obtaining measurement data from the integrated measurement equipment subsequent to turn up; determining an optimal target launch power profile per fiber span in the optical section based on the measurement data; configuring channel holders at the OADM multiplexer to meet the optimal target launch power profile per fiber span; and calibrating each fiber span to determine settings of equipment at the OADM multiplexer, the OADM demultiplexer, and the zero or more in-line optical amplifiers.

Abstract: Systems and methods include, in a controller, responsive to a request to add one or more channels to a path in an optical network which has in-service channels, determining a plurality of logical control seams to split the path, wherein the path includes a plurality of optical sections and each logical control seam has a boundary at an associated optical section; determining controller speed for each of the plurality of logical control seams based on corresponding optical margin; and performing, for each of the plurality of logical control seams, control at the determined controller speed to add the one or more channels with the in-service channels.

Abstract: Systems and methods are implemented at an Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (OADM) node using virtual sections to provide sectional control over an optical link over a foreign-controlled optical network. The systems and methods include virtually splitting the optical link at a shelf processor associated with the OADM node; in a non-fault condition, obtaining and storing a power snapshot of the optical link and associated virtual sections thereon, from an optical spectrum monitor; responsive to a fault on one or more virtual sections of the virtual sections, obtaining a current power snapshot of the optical link and the associated virtual sections; and comparing the stored power snapshot and the current power snapshot of the one or more virtual sections and providing a fault alarm for the one or more virtual sections based on the comparing to a control plane for management thereof.

Abstract: Systems and methods are in a node in a network utilizing a control plane for triggering mesh restoration due to intra-node faults, and include monitoring at least one channel at a degree at a plurality of degrees associated with the node; detecting a fault on the at least one channel, wherein the fault is an intra-node fault upstream of the degree; and transmitting a channel fault indicator downstream of the fault to at least one downstream node along a path of the faulted channel, wherein restoration is triggered based on the channel fault indicator.