Abstract: A shortcut routing method is used in an Internet Protocol network over a network. This network, including a plurality of switch-routers and optionally a plurality of routers interconnected by links, is adapted to carry a point-to-multipoint connection between a sending host and a plurality of potential receiving hosts. Each of these receiving hosts is coupled to one of the plurality of routers and/or switch-routers. A first data-packet of an Internet Protocol packet-flow is broadcasted from the sending host towards all potential receiving hosts and wherein each potential receiving host of these potential receiving hosts may send, upon reception of said first data-packet, a prune-message in direction of said sending host to notify that this potential receiving host does not wish to receive this Internet Protocol packet-flow.

Abstract: The optical switch arrangement is included in an optical node of an optical network and includes an optical switch (OS) with optical inputs and optical outputs which routes incoming optical signals from the optical inputs to the optical outputs and generates outgoing optical signals. The optical switch arrangement (OSA) additionally includes an optical delay device (ODD) with optical delay units (ODU1, . . . , ODUm) coupled to a subset of the optical outputs and which delays an outgoing optical signal with a predetermined delay time to generate a delayed optical signal and a control unit (CTRL) to control the routing and the predetermined delay time. The optical switch arrangement (OSA) is thereby enabled to synchronise incoming optical signals. The arrangement is used in an optical protection switching module consisting of the connection of this optical switch arrangement (OSA) and a plurality of optical selectors which select one out of the outgoing optical signals or the delayed optical signals.