Abstract: A facility is provided which detects the loss of a high power signal in an optical transmission path and invokes a procedure which causes a transmitter connected to the fiber to reduce the power level at which it is transmitting optical signals over the fiber to a safe level.

Abstract: The invention is directed to an optical node, e.g., a so-called add/drop site, that receives an optical carrier signal formed from a plurality of component optical signals of respective wavelengths and a plurality of different identification signals which identify respective ones of the wavelengths. As is typically the case, the node includes a demultiplexer that demultiplexes the optical carrier signal and outputs the demultiplexed component optical signals to respective optical paths. Disadvantageously, each of the demultiplexed optical component signals includes all of the identification signals as a result of such demultiplexing. However, we dispose an optical translator unit in at least one of the optical paths to remove all of the identification signals from the one component optical signals and also reset the power level of that signal.