Abstract: An optical communication system may include microLEDs for use in communicating data between chips or multi-chip modules. The number of microLEDs may be greater than a number of electrical data lines for carrying data to be communicated. Signals on the electrical data lines may be inverse multiplexed, for example to allow for operation of the microLEDs at a rate slower than operation of electrical circuitry generating signals on the electrical data lines.

Abstract: One or more aspects of the present disclosure relate to allocating virtual memory to one or more virtual machines (VMs). The one or more VMs can be established by a hypervisor of a storage device. The virtual memory can be allocated to the established one or more VMs. The virtual memory can correspond to non-volatile (NV) memory of a global memory of the storage device.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and an apparatus for transmitting and receiving a client signal in an optical transport network. In the transmission method, a received client signal is mapped into a variable-rate container OTU-N, wherein a rate of the OTU-N is N times as high as a preset reference rate; and then, the variable-rate container OTU-N is split into N optical sub-channel transport units OTUsubs by column, where a rate of each OTUsub equals to the reference rate; next, the N optical sub-channel transport units OTUsubs are modulated onto one or more optical carriers; at last, the one or more optical carriers is transmitted through a fiber.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes: a path information acquiring part acquiring path information formed by information indicating connection relationship set between multiple nodes and indicating cost of the connection relationship; an evaluation value giving part giving to the respective nodes included in the path information an evaluation value indicating cost between the node and a reference node; a determining part determining whether to establish as a path the interval between any two of the nodes, on the basis of the connection relationship and a magnitude relation between the evaluation values given to the nodes; and an evaluation value updating part updating the evaluation value of the respective nodes, on the basis of value indicating cost between the respective nodes and a node connected by the established path. Following the determination made by the determining part, the evaluation value updating part executes an evaluation value updating process repeatedly.

Abstract: An exemplary apparatus is provided for a high capacity switching system for use in a transport network, which contains a number of input and output subsystems and a central interconnection means configurably interconnecting the input and output subsystems. The subsystems have input and output line modules for receiving and transmitting data signals to and from transmission lines of the network, one or more link modules connecting the subsystems to the interconnection means, and local switching means switching data signals in time and space domain between the input and output modules and the one or more link modules within one subsystems. The link modules are adapted to aggregate data signals from different input and output line modules of the same input and output subsystems and destined to input and output line modules of another one of the input and output subsystems into signal bursts and add a payload gap to each signal burst.

Abstract: Automatic discovery and verification of optical communication links as well as isolation of link failures in an optical communication system.

Abstract: The disclosure describes implementations of an apparatus including a plurality of racks, wherein each rack houses a plurality of networking devices and each networking device includes a communication port. An optical circuit switch can be coupled to each of the plurality of communication ports in one or more of the plurality of racks, and a plurality of top-of-rack (TOR) switches can be coupled to the optical circuit switch. Other implementations are disclosed and claimed.

Abstract: A wavelength selective switch includes a light input/output unit that includes an input unit and an output unit of a wavelength multiplexed light arranged in a form of an array in a first direction, a light dispersing unit that receives the wavelength multiplexed light from the input unit and disperses the wavelength multiplexed light into signal wavelengths, a light condensing element that condenses the light dispersed into the signal wavelengths, and a light deflecting element array that deflects a signal light in the first direction and a second direction, that is orthogonal to the first direction, so as to switch the light of the signal wavelengths condensed by the light condensing element to a desired output unit.

Abstract: As described herein, a network device includes an optical circuit switch to perform circuit switching. The network device also has a plurality of removable line cards, each of which includes a packet switch. A switching manager automatically reconfigures the optical circuit switch based on a configuration of the removable line cards to maintain a guaranteed packet switching bandwidth between active line cards.

Abstract: Methods and systems for splitting an initiated signal are disclosed. An exemplary system may include a transmitter configured to selectively transmit an initiated signal, and a signal splitter in communication with the transmitter. The signal splitter may be configured to selectively split the initiated signal into a plurality of recipient signals for a plurality of recipient lines in communication with the transmitter. The signal splitter may be configured to selectively modify a number of recipient signals, e.g., by adjusting a spot size of the initiated signal on the signal splitter.

Abstract: The present invention provides reduced power dissipation and other benefits at the optical transport network layer by utilizing a digital subcarrier optical network comprising multiple digital subcarrier cross-connect switches. This offers several advantages for optical networks, including spectral efficiency and robustness against signal corruption and consumption of less energy than traditional TDM-based electric switches (OTN/SONET/SDH).

Abstract: An optical network includes a multidimensional coder and modulator for handling multiple-in-multiple-out MIMO spatial lightpath properties and content of any specific supercarrier, a spatial mode multiplexer responsive to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM transmissions and the multidimensional coder, a spatial-spectral routing node coupled over a fiber link to the spatial mode multiplexer for performing switching granularity by a spatial mode reconnection, a multidimensional decoder and demodulator; and a spatial mode demultiplexer coupled over a fiber link to the spatial-spectral routing node and responsive to the multidimensional decoder and demodulator.

Abstract: Scheduling methods and apparatus for use with optical switches with hybrid architectures are provided. An exemplary distributed scheduling process achieves 100% throughput for any admissible Bernoulli arrival traffic. The exemplary distributed scheduling process may be easily adapted to work for any finite round trip time, without sacrificing any throughput. Simulation results also showed that this distributed scheduling process can provide very good delay performance for different traffic patterns and for different round trip times associated with current switches.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical transmission system to which a spatial multiplexing optical fiber is applied as a transmission line. The optical transmission system performs optical transmission using the spatial multiplexing optical fiber as an optical transmission line for transmission of signal light. Namely, the optical transmission is carried out in accordance with a modulation format in which a Q-factor of the signal light propagating in certain propagation mode light propagating in the spatial multiplexing optical fiber and a ratio of a signal light power to a square of the shortest distance between modulation symbols in the modulation format satisfy a predetermined relational expression.

Abstract: Restrictions, due to wavelength paths which are non-alternative combinations of wavelengths and paths, are solved.

Abstract: An automatically switched optical network includes several areas of a transmission plane and a control plane, and a method for data transmission in the network includes that when the control plane has detected at least one partition of an area separated from other partitions of the area, a route over area is realized between the separated partitions of the area by the way of virtual link in the area. When several partitions exist in a certain area of the network, which can not be connected with each other through routes within the area, and the data transmission can not be performed between these partitions, a hierarchical route in the case of the area of ASON transmission plane being parted is realized by the method, so when the several separated partitions are caused by link fault in a certain area, the hierarchical route over area can be realized for the partitions of the area.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described that that dynamically configure high-speed data link lightpaths between access routers and backbone routers at geographically dispersed locations to reassign traffic when a backbone router fails or is removed from service. Embodiments reduce the quantity of backbone router ports used in dual backbone router-homed networks.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a path computation element (PCE) configured for at least partial impairment aware routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) and to communicate with a path computation client (PCC) based on a PCE protocol (PCEP) that supports path routing, wavelength assignment (WA), and impairment validation (IV). Also disclosed is a network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising establishing a PCEP session with a PCC, receiving path computation information comprising RWA information and constraints from the PCC, establishing impairment aware RWA (IA-RWA) based on the path computation information and a private impairment information for a vendor's equipment, and sending a path and an assigned wavelength based on the IA-RWA to the PCC. Disclosed is a method comprising establishing impairment aware routing and wavelength assignment for a plurality of network elements (NEs) in an optical network using routing and combined WA and IV.

Abstract: An all-optical transmission system includes an optical switch matrix, a plurality of optical components communicating over the optical switch matrix, and a top of rack (ToR) switch coupled to each optical component. Each ToR switch communicates with the optical components and with other ToR switches. The optical component includes a send circuit and a receive circuit with the send circuit having a ToR transceiver to receive data, a multiplexer coupled to the ToR transceiver, a Wavelength Selective Switch (WSS) coupled to the multiplexer, and a circulator coupled to the WSS.

Abstract: The present invention provides reduced power dissipation and other benefits at the optical transport network layer by utilizing a digital subcarrier optical network comprising multiple digital subcarrier cross-connect switches. This offers several advantages for optical networks, including spectral efficiency and robustness against signal corruption and consumption of less energy than traditional TDM-based electric switches (OTN/SONET/SDH).

Abstract: A wavelength selective switch includes a substrate. On the substrate, the wavelength selective switch includes at least one input port, a dispersive element, a light converging element, a light deflecting member, an output port, and a driving mechanism which drives at least one of the dispersive element, the light condenser element, and the light deflecting member, and drive by the driving mechanism is a rotational drive around an axis perpendicular to the substrate, for the dispersive element, and is a translational drive in a direction of dispersion of wavelength with respect to the substrate, for the light condenser element or the light deflecting member.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for establishing an inter-domain path that satisfies wavelength continuity constraint. The fPCE stores a virtual topology comprised by border nodes of all domains. The present invention uses parallel inter-domain path establishment method to decrease the influence from WCC. Compared with the sequential process way in prior art, it enhanced the resource utilization and decreased computation delay.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and system for advertising a routing protocol message and calculating a route are provided which solve the problems that the time of connection establishment or rerouting in wavelength routing is too long and that wavelength utilization efficiency is low. The method for advertising the routing protocol message includes: obtaining node information and link information of a node, in which the node information contains port cross-connection capability information of the node, and the link information contains wavelength restriction information and wavelength status information of each link connected to the node; carrying the obtained node information and link information in a Type-Length-Value object of a routing protocol message, and advertising the routing protocol message in the network.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods for administrative boundaries in a single domain optical network such as emulation of an External network-network interface (ENNI) using an Internal-Network to Network Interface (INNI). For example, in a single monolithic domain, a network and associated network elements may discover network elements, build topology, compute paths, establish new calls, etc. A user may identify/mark specific links as emulated “ENNI” links with the specific links actually being INNI links. As a call traverses this emulated link, a new call is initiated (much in the same way a new call segment would be created for a call). Signaling proceeds as normal. When the call set-up is fully complete, instead of a single call segment, many call segments exists. Advantageously, this allows use of INNI control plane features while allowing a network operator to future-proof their network by installing call segments at future boundary points.

Abstract: Optical networks occasionally experience a fault along a communications path. Service providers prefer to have an alternative communications path available to enable users to still communicate in a seamless manner. Accordingly, a method and corresponding apparatus for providing path protection for dedicated paths in an optical network is provided.

Abstract: A multiple input/output wavelength selective switch device 1 is configured of an N×M optical cross connect switch 10, wavelength selector 20 and controller 40. The N×M optical cross connect switch 10 turns WDM signals of N channels inputted to input routes Rin1 to RinN into M WDM signals. The wavelength selector 20 can perform a selection operation with respect to each of the M WDM signals according to their wavelengths and output the signals from output routes Rout1 to RoutM.

Abstract: An example embodiment of the present invention is a non-blocking wavelength switching architecture that enables graceful scaling of a network wavelength switching node from small to large fiber counts using fixed size bidirectional 1×N Wavelength Selective Switches (WSS). The architecture uses an intermediate broadcast and select layer implemented using optical splitters and WSSs to eliminate wavelength blocking.

Abstract: Each of a plurality of data flows is classified as having a respective data flow type, and each data flow is assigned to one of a plurality of subcarrier groups, based on the data flow's type, wherein each subcarrier group comprises a respective plurality of subcarriers. First data flows assigned to a first subcarrier group are transmitted exclusively on respective subcarriers in the first subcarrier group, and second data flows assigned to a second subcarrier group are transmitted together on all of the subcarriers in the second subcarrier group.

Abstract: In one aspect, a system includes one or more electrical switches to transfer data in a data network; one or more optical switching groups coupled to each electrical switch, each switching group having one or more server racks, each server rack coupled to a top of rack (TOR) switch and an optical transceiver coupled to the TOR switch; and an optical switching unit (OSU) coupled to the one or more optical switching groups.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described that that dynamically configure high-speed data link lightpaths between access routers and backbone routers at geographically dispersed locations to reassign traffic when a backbone router fails or is removed from service. Embodiments reduce the quantity of backbone router ports used in dual backbone router-homed networks.

Abstract: This invention discloses methods to reconfigure highly scalable and modular automated optical cross connect switch devices comprised of large numbers of densely packed fiber strands suspended within a common volume. In particular, methods enabling programmable interconnection of large numbers of optical fibers (100's-1000's) are provided, whereby a two-dimensional input array of fiber optic connections is mapped in an ordered and rule-based fashion into a one-dimensional array. A particular algorithmic implementation for a system reconfigured by a three-axis robotic gripper as well as lateral translation of each row in the input port array is disclosed.

Abstract: Provided is an optical network in which a wavelength division multiplexing-based optical transmission scheme is implemented. An apparatus for cross-connecting an optical path includes a path switch including a plurality of input terminals receiving optical signals from other nodes, and a plurality of output terminals sending the optical signals to the other nodes, the path switch switching the path of the optical signal so that the optical signal input via one of the input terminals is output to one of the output terminals; and a wavelength converter converting a wavelength of the optical signal input via the input terminal and outputting the wavelength-converted optical signal to the output terminal according to a switching result of the path switch.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a path computation element (PCE) configured for at least partial impairment aware routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) and to communicate with a path computation client (PCC) based on a PCE protocol (PCEP) that supports path routing, wavelength assignment (WA), and impairment validation (IV). Also disclosed is a network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising establishing a PCEP session with a PCC, receiving path computation information comprising RWA information and constraints from the PCC, establishing impairment aware RWA (IA-RWA) based on the path computation information and a private impairment information for a vendor's equipment, and sending a path and an assigned wavelength based on the IA-RWA to the PCC. Disclosed is a method comprising establishing impairment aware routing and wavelength assignment for a plurality of network elements (NEs) in an optical network using routing and combined WA and IV.

Abstract: A packet-optical integrated switch without an optical transponder, includes: a packet line card configured to output an Ethernet packet signal to a pre-set output port; a packet switch fabric configured to transfer the packet signal from the packet line card to the output port previously set in a destination address included in the packet signal; a 10 gigabit Ethernet (10 GbE)/optical transport unit level 2 (OTU2) integrated line card configured to convert the packet signal from the packet switch fabric into an OTU2 optical signal having a pre-set wavelength; and a wavelength selection switch fabric configured to allocate the optical signal from the 10 GbE/OTU2 integrated line card to a pre-set wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) port by pre-set wavelength to exchange the optical signal to each port by wavelength, wherein the packet line card, the packet switch fabric, the 10 GbE/OTU2 integrated line card, and the wavelength selection switch fabric perform the reverse operations of the process, respectivel

Abstract: An integrated transmission apparatus includes a plurality of optical supervisory channel (OSC) processing units for processing OSC signals contained in a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) signal received from a WDM network and a switching unit for performing the path control of synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) frames. An OSC processing unit transmits the SDH frame, containing wavelength information indicated by, to the switching unit. Another OSC processing unit acquires the SDH frame, containing wavelength information, from the switching unit and sets an OSC signal which is to be appended to the WDM signal to be transmitted, based on the wavelength information.

Abstract: In asynchronous optical packet switches, scheduling packets from a buffer randomly will cause less efficient utilization of the buffer. Additionally, reordering of packets may cause problems for service quality demanding applications. According to the present invention a new electronic buffer scheduling algorithm is proposed and a switch utilizing this algorithm is disclosed. The algorithm is designed for utilizing the buffer resources efficiently, still avoiding serious packet reordering.

Abstract: The OSS provides unique and automated provisioning, activation, fallout management and monitoring of SONET and WDM networks comprising control plane mesh and traditional SONET/WDM Rings/Chains. Resource discovery and dynamic provisioning provides for increased use of network bandwidth. It is possible both all control plane networks and mixed control plane and traditional networks. Network connections or the network topology may be accomplished in a hop-by-hop manner.

Abstract: A network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising creating a port restriction matrix comprising a plurality of port restrictions, and compressing the port restriction matrix. Included is a method comprising establishing a port wavelength restriction data for an optical component, establishing a port connectivity data for the optical component, and transmitting the port wavelength restriction data and the port connectivity data to a path computation element. Also included is an apparatus comprising a path computation client configured to communicate data to a path computation element, wherein the data comprises a port restriction data.

Abstract: An optical node includes a reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexer (ROADM) core configured to transmit optical signals of multiple wavelengths to and receive optical signals of multiple wavelengths from another optical node. The ROADM core is also configured to add optical signals thereto and to drop optical signals therefrom. The node also includes two different types of add-on devices, each connected to the ROADM core device and configured to process optical signals of multiple wavelengths. As a result, a multifunctional and reconfigurable optical node can be provided.

Abstract: A wavelength selective switch utilizing aperture-shared optics and functionally distinct planes of operation that enables high fiber port counts, such as 1×41, and multiplicative expansion, such as to 1×83 or 1×145, by utilizing elements optimized for performance in one of the functionally distinct planes of operation without affecting the other plane.

Abstract: A digital cross-connect (DXC) (10) comprises: a plurality of ports (30-100) for receiving/outputting signals and switching and switching means (20) for selectively cross-connecting signals applied to one port to one or more other ports. The cross-connect (10) is characterized in that the switching means (20) comprises a single switching matrix which is arranged to be capable of switching Optical Data Units (ODU). Alternatively or in addition the switching matrix is arranged to be capable of transparently switching complete Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) synchronous transport modules STM-N and/or complete SONET synchronous transport transport signal STS-N derived from optical carriers OC-N and/or SDH vitual containers VC-3, VC-4, and/or concatenated virtual containers VC4-nc where n=4, 16, 64 or 256 as defined in ITU-Recommendation G.707 and/or SONET synchronous transport system STS-1s, STS-nc where n=3, 12, 48, 192 or 768 as defined in Telcordia GR253.

Abstract: A network element of a transport network has three fabrics housed within a single shelf of a telco rack, namely a packet fabric, an electrical fabric and an optical fabric. The shelf also includes inter-fabric circuitry, to bridge between the fabrics, e.g. packet-electrical and/or electrical-optical and/or packet-optical. The inter-fabric circuitries switchably transmit packets across fabrics in intermediate nodes of the transport network. The single shelf of some embodiments has a wall (“midplane”) between a rear region that holds the three fabrics and a front region that holds inter-fabric circuitry, and external interfaces to optical trunks and/or packet services and/or optical tributaries.

Abstract: A high capacity distributed switching system comprises electronic edge nodes connected to a balanced bufferless switch which may be electronic or optical. The balanced bufferless switch comprises a balanced connector and a switch fabric. The balanced connector comprises an array of temporally cyclic rotator units having graduated rotation shifts and each having a prime number of output ports. The switch fabric may be a mesh interconnection of switch modules. Due to the use of the balanced connector, establishing a path through the switch fabric requires at most a second-order time-slot matching process for a high proportion of connection requests with a much reduced need for a third-order time-slot matching process required in a conventional mesh structure.

Abstract: A ring communication network according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of nodes in which a single one of the nodes is configured for full channel conversion and the remaining nodes, other than the single node, are configured for no channel conversion. Links with no more than W channels couple the nodes. The ring communication network also may include N nodes and links connecting the nodes for carrying data in W channels such that N?2 log2 W?1 where W is a power of 2. Each of the N nodes includes switches connected such that each channel of a first one of the links adjacent to any one of the N nodes can be switched to no more than W?1 channels of another one of the links adjacent any one node.

Abstract: According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a bidirectional communications system includes a first non-blocking network including a bidirectional optical switch, a plurality of nodes, a plurality of optical transceivers connected between the bidirectional optical switch and the plurality of nodes, each optical transceiver including a transmitter, a receiver and an optical combiner, and a second network connected to at least one of the nodes and the at least one at least one bidirectional optical switch for control of a crossconnect.

Abstract: Provided is an apparatus for transferring optical data in an optical switching system using time synchronization. The apparatus performs time synchronization on optical data to input the optical data at regular intervals through fiber delay line for time synchronization respectively disposed on input ports. Therefore, the apparatus can efficiently reduce a data blocking rate in comparison with a conventional optical switching system using an asynchronous electric buffer without a synchronous process, and achieve the same performance as conventional asynchronous technology despite using fewer wavelength converters and buffers, thus reducing system cost. In addition, using dynamic time synchronization modules, the apparatus performs time synchronization for minute time variation due to an environment such as temperature.

Abstract: The present invention relates to controlling wavelength switching in a plurality of nodes that are provided to increase the distance of signal transmission in inverse MUX transmission in which a high-speed line is divided into a plurality of low-speed lines for transmission. A maximum skew occurring between adjacent nodes is measured, and switching of wavelength channels is performed in one or a plurality of nodes on the basis of the measured maximum skew to keep the skew of the entire inverse MUX transmission system at or below a prescribed value. The optical communication device is provided with an NNI functional block to which high-speed lines on the transmission channel side are connected, and a UNI functional block to which low-speed lines on the client side are connected.

Abstract: Switching architectures for WDM mesh and ring network nodes are presented. In mesh networks, the switching architectures have multiple levels—a network level having wavelength routers for add, drop and pass-through functions, an intermediate level having device units which handle add and drop signals, and a local level having port units for receiving signals dropped from the network and transmitting signals to be added to the network. The intermediate level device units are selected and arranged for performance and cost considerations. The multilevel architecture also permits the design of reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers for ring network nodes, the easy expansion of ring networks into mesh networks, and the accommodation of protection mechanisms in ring networks.

Abstract: Current network switching architectures require communication with a higher level network control plane, which can be slow to reroute communications, resulting in unacceptable losses of communications for customers. Examples embodiments of the present invention reroute communications faster detecting optical power of an optical signal at optical switches coupled via optical communication paths, and causing at least one optical communication path between a first optical switch and second optical switch to switch to an alternative optical communication path, in part, through physical layer triggering in an event optical power at at least one of the first or second optical switches falls below a threshold level. Switching in response to physical layer triggering may result in reduced switching times and, consequently, faster restoration of communications to customers after a network fault interruption.

Abstract: Modular WSS-based Communications system with colorless and network-port transparent add/drop interfaces is described herein. According to certain aspects of the invention, equipment architecture is provided that enables a linear, ring, and mesh optical network. The embodiments of the invention are primarily on how to add and drop signals at a node of the network. The embodiments of the invention are based on the use a wavelength selective switch (WSS), which is an emerging component technology. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.