Abstract: A path verification message is integrated into a signal, or data stream, that traverses along a path connecting two end nodes of a distributed restoration network within a telecommunications network. To ensure that the integrated path verification message is transparent to equipment positioned along the path, the time period between the successive time intervals whereat the signal is probed by the nodes and the equipment is provisioned to have a predefined portion during which the value of at least one bit of each frame of the signal can be varied. The path verification message is subdivided into a number of parts so that successive parts are integrated into successive predefined portions of corresponding successive time periods. Upon receipt of the requisite successive time periods, the various parts of the path verification message are recombined to form the path verification message.

Abstract: In a restoration network including a distributed restoration algorithm (DRA) enabled network of a telecommunications network, path verification messages are embedded onto traffic bearing signals entering the network and removed from the signals leaving the network. By adding path verification messages to the signals that traverse within the DRA enabled network, the integrity of any communications path that interconnects the various nodes within the restoration network are confirmed. Further, by removing the path verification messages from the signals leaving the restoration network, equipment outside the restoration network are spared of any possibility that their operations may be affected by the path verification messages.