Abstract: A wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) system includes an optical communications link with one or more optical amplifiers cascaded from an input end to an output end. Each amplifier has a predetermined optical gain throughout a pass band, and passes optical signals in the pass band along the link. Transmitting optical communications equipment is coupled to the input end of the link and provides a WDM optical communications signal to the link. The WDM optical signal includes a number of spaced-apart optical signals, including data optical signals and at least one management optical signal, that reside in the pass band of the optical amplifiers. Receiving optical communications equipment coupled to the output end of the link receives the WDM optical communications signal, separates the management optical signal from the data optical signals, recovers management information from the separated management optical signal, and uses the recovered management information to carry out management functions.

Abstract: Indicia are provided to a client of Out-of-Frame errors and message bit parity errors that occur during the transmission of a message through a network, wherein the message includes the client data multiplexed with other data and formatted into a message that includes a plurality of transport overhead bytes. The transport overhead bytes of the multiplexed can include both defined bytes and undefined bytes. Predetermined bytes in the transport overhead may be used to store indicia of errors that are detected during the message transmission. These predetermined bytes are read by the client at the egress of the network. The transport overhead may contain both a section overhead portion and a line overhead portion and the predetermined bytes may be encoded in either a subset of the section or line overhead bytes. In addition, the indicia of errors may be encoded in an undefined portion of the section or line overhead.

Abstract: A system is provided for protecting a wavelength division multiplexing optical communications network against communication failures at the link, wavelength and fiber layers. The system includes failure detectors for detecting communication failures of the network and for generating failure signals in response thereto, and protection switching elements for receiving the failure signals and controlling the protection switching in response thereto. The system also includes a first set of intralayer communication channels within each of the link, wavelength and fiber layers for sending the failure signals between the failure detectors and the protection switching elements, and a second set of interlayer communication channels between adjacent ones of the link, wavelength and fiber layers for sending the failure signals between the failure detectors and the protection switching elements.

Abstract: A wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical communications network is configured and operated to enable transmitter output power for a given wavelength channel to be adjusted to achieve a desired optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) for the channel independently of the power levels of other optical signals carried on the same path. Optical amplifiers in the optical links extending between the transmitter and an optical receiver are configured to operate with constant gain over a specified range of input optical signal power, and the links are configured such that the power level of the signal provided to each optical amplifier is within the specified range of input signal power to prevent the deep saturation of the optical amplifiers due to optical amplifier cascading. When a channel is being added or adjusted, the OSNR of the optical communications signal received by the receiver is measured, and the power of the signal transmitted by the transmitter is adjusted to attain a desired OSNR at the receiver.

Abstract: Methods for allocating connections between nodes in an optical ring communications network are provided. In these methods, working path connections are assigned so that the combination of required wavelengths and wavelength interface cards (WICs) in the network is minimized. In one such method, the wavelengths for the working path connections are assigned so that lightpaths are connected around the ring to complete a circle. In another method, components of lightpaths are connected so that a linked component group of lightpaths is formed around the ring until no more connectable lightpath connections are available or until a complete circle is formed around the ring.

Abstract: An arbitration scheme for providing deterministic bandwidth and delay guarantees in an input-buffered crossbar switch with speedup S is presented. Within the framework of a crossbar architecture having a plurality of input channels and output channels, the arbitration scheme determines the sequence of fixed-size packet (or cell) transmissions between the inputs channels and outputs channels satisfying the constraint that only one cell can leave an input channel and enter an output channel per phase in such a way that the arbitration delay is bounded for each cell awaiting transmission at the input channel. If the fixed-sized packets result from fragmentation of variable size packets, the scheduling and arbitration scheme determines deterministic delay guarantees to the initial variable size packets (re-assembled at the output channel) as well.