Abstract: A system and method for of pre-provisioning recovery paths in a mesh network including creating i) a working path between a head end NE and a tail end NE of the mesh network and ii) a recovery path between the head end NE and the tail end NE, wherein the working path and the recovery path include one or more intermediate NEs; provisioning the working path in an activated state, including establishing cross connects of each of the NEs of the working path; provisioning the recovery path in a pending state, including establishing cross connects of each of the NEs of the recovery path; after provisioning the recovery path, detecting a failure along the working path, and in response, allocating and reserving link resources along the recovery path; and activating, by the NEs along the recovery path, cross connects of the recovery path into respective hardware associated with the NEs.

Abstract: A system and method for of pre-provisioning recovery paths in a mesh network including creating i) a working path between a head end NE and a tail end NE of the mesh network and ii) a recovery path between the head end NE and the tail end NE, wherein the working path and the recovery path include one or more intermediate NEs; provisioning the working path in an activated state, including establishing cross connects of each of the NEs of the working path; provisioning the recovery path in a pending state, including establishing cross connects of each of the NEs of the recovery path; after provisioning the recovery path, detecting a failure along the working path, and in response, allocating and reserving link resources along the recovery path; and activating, by the NEs along the recovery path, cross connects of the recovery path into respective hardware associated with the NEs.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed in which a link state advertisement message (LSA) conforming to a Generalized Multiprotocol Label Switching (GMPLS) routing protocol is generated and transmitted. The LSA is associated with a TE Link between a transmit node and a receive node in a network. The transmit node supplies a plurality of optical signals, each of which has a plurality of frequencies, the frequencies being allocated among a plurality of spectral portions such that the plurality of spectral portions are grouped into a plurality of frequency slots. The LSA may include information indicative of a number of spectral portions, e.g., spectral slices, which correspond to frequencies of selected ones of the plurality of optical signals, said selected ones of the plurality of optical signals being available to carry data from the transmit node to the receive node.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed in which a link state advertisement message (LSA) conforming to a Generalized Multiprotocol Label Switching (GMPLS) routing protocol is generated and transmitted. The LSA is associated with a TE Link between a transmit node and a receive node in a network. The transmit node supplies a plurality of optical signals, each of which has a plurality of frequencies, the frequencies being allocated among a plurality of spectral portions such that the plurality of spectral portions are grouped into a plurality of frequency slots. The LSA may include information indicative of a number of spectral portions, e.g., spectral slices, which correspond to frequencies of selected ones of the plurality of optical signals, said selected ones of the plurality of optical signals being available to carry data from the transmit node to the receive node.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed in which a link state advertisement message (LSA) conforming to a Generalized Multiprotocol Label Switching (GMPLS) routing protocol is generated and transmitted. The LSA is associated with a TE Link between a transmit node and a receive node in a network. The transmit node supplies a plurality of optical signals, each of which has a plurality of frequencies, the frequencies being allocated among a plurality of spectral portions such that the plurality of spectral portions are grouped into a plurality of frequency slots. The LSA may include information indicative of a number of spectral portions, e.g., spectral slices, which correspond to frequencies of selected ones of the plurality of optical signals, said selected ones of the plurality of optical signals being available to carry data from the transmit node to the receive node.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed in which a signaling message conforming to a GMPLS signaling protocol and associated with an optical connection is generated and transmitted by a transmit node to a receive node to change the size of a connection bandwidth in a network. The message may include information indicative of a number of spectral portions which correspond to frequencies of selected ones of the plurality of optical signals, selected ones of the plurality of optical signals being available to carry data from the transmit node to the receive node; and information indicative of a change in the number of selected ones of the plurality of optical signals. The transmit node may resize the connection while data traffic continues to be transmitted over the connection in the Optical Transport Network without service disruption to the client attached to the connection being resized.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed including receiving, by circuitry of a node conforming to GMPLS protocol, a signal comprising at least one of an optical signal attribute indicative of parameters of a super-channel, the super-channel including a plurality of optical carriers, each of which having a corresponding one of a plurality of wavelengths and being modulated to carry a corresponding one of a plurality of data streams, the super-channel being provisioned in the optical network as one optical channel, wherein the optical signal attribute is one of: quantity of wavelengths of the super-channel, wavelength center frequency of the super-channel, wavelength modulation of the super-channel, wavelength baudrate of the super-channel, and wavelength FEC type of the super-channel. The node further receiving information indicative of frequency slices in use by the super-channel and calculating, using algorithms conforming to CSPF-TE protocol, a path of a second super-channel.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed in which a signaling message conforming to a GMPLS signaling protocol and associated with an optical connection is generated and transmitted by a transmit node to a receive node to change the size of a connection bandwidth in a network. The message may include information indicative of a number of spectral portions which correspond to frequencies of selected ones of the plurality of optical signals, selected ones of the plurality of optical signals being available to carry data from the transmit node to the receive node; and information indicative of a change in the number of selected ones of the plurality of optical signals. The transmit node may resize the connection while data traffic continues to be transmitted over the connection in the Optical Transport Network without service disruption to the client attached to the connection being resized.

Abstract: A node is configured to receive an instruction to establish a channel having a bandwidth that corresponds to an operating spectrum an optical fiber; obtain information that identifies a channel spacing and a pointer that identifies where, within the spectrum, to establish bandwidth allocations; identify a group of bandwidth segments based on the spectrum and the channel spacing; and generate bit words that correspond to the bandwidth allocations, where the bit words includes bits that, when set to a value, cause sets of segments to be reserved within the spectrum, and where the sets of segments identify where the bandwidth allocations begin and end, within the spectrum, relative to the pointer.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed including receiving, by circuitry of a node conforming to GMPLS protocol, a signal comprising at least one of an optical signal attribute indicative of parameters of a super-channel, the super-channel including a plurality of optical carriers, each of which having a corresponding one of a plurality of wavelengths and being modulated to carry a corresponding one of a plurality of data streams, the super-channel being provisioned in the optical network as one optical channel, wherein the optical signal attribute is one of: quantity of wavelengths of the super-channel, wavelength center frequency of the super-channel, wavelength modulation of the super-channel, wavelength baudrate of the super-channel, and wavelength FEC type of the super-channel. The node further receiving information indicative of frequency slices in use by the super-channel and calculating, using algorithms conforming to CSPF-TE protocol, a path of a second super-channel.

Abstract: A node is configured to receive an instruction to establish a channel having a bandwidth that corresponds to an operating spectrum an optical fiber; obtain information that identifies a channel spacing and a pointer that identifies where, within the spectrum, to establish bandwidth allocations; identify a group of bandwidth segments based on the spectrum and the channel spacing; and generate bit words that correspond to the bandwidth allocations, where the bit words includes bits that, when set to a value, cause sets of segments to be reserved within the spectrum, and where the sets of segments identify where the bandwidth allocations begin and end, within the spectrum, relative to the pointer.