Abstract: Optical networks are increasingly employing optical network nodes having multiple interfaces to allow a node to direct optical signals received at any interface to any other interface connected to the node. Constructing a larger wavelength selective switching (WSS) module used in such a node can be complex and expensive. A method an apparatus for constructing a large WSS using parallelism is provided. In example embodiments, a larger WSS may include multiple parallel non-cascaded smaller WSSs and an optical coupler configured to optically couple the multiple parallel, non-cascaded smaller WSSs. This technique may be used to construct both N×1 and 1×N WSSs. Because the technique employs multiple parallel, non-cascaded WSSs, all inputs of a larger N×1 WSS and all outputs of a larger 1×N WSS are available receive or transmit external signals rather than being rather than being unavailable due to, for example, cascading smaller WSS devices together.

Abstract: An optical ring network has one or more working wavelengths and multiple protection wavelengths adapted to support the working wavelength(s). Routing tables may be used in network nodes to assign traffic of a failed working wavelength to a protection wavelength. The protection technique may be applied to networks employing, for example, Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM).

Abstract: A channel in a multiple carrier communication system is equalized by computing a desired spectral response, shortening the impulse response of the channel so that a significant part of an energy of the impulse response is confined to a region that is shorter than a target length and filtering the signal based on the desired spectral response. A multiple carrier communication system may include a primary impulse shortening filter that receives an output signal of an analog to digital converter and accepts coefficients. A secondary impulse shortening filter may receive the output signal of the analog to digital converter, output an output signal, and pass coefficients to the primary impulse shortening filter. A reference signal generator may output a reference signal. A comparator may compare the output signal and the reference signal and output a resulting error signal. An adaptive processor may compute coefficients for the secondary impulse shortening filter based on the error signal.

Abstract: The specification discloses methods and apparatus for selecting the better of two or more copies of a cell in a cell-oriented redundant switching system connected to an external communications network. In the preferred embodiment, the best cell copy selection aligns redundantly transmitted cell streams before selecting cells for insertion in the data stream. Because the streams are aligned before the selection is made, the best cell copy selector compares each cell at the same instant in time, rather than basing its selection on past events.