Connectivity verification testing and topology discovery

• US 10,715,410 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2018
• Issued: 07/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Schmogrow, Rene, Newland, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Lambert, David W
• Application Number:
  US16/039,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20200028765A1
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/077 using a supervisory or additional signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/021 Reconfigurable arrangements, e.g. reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers [ROADM] or tunable optical add/drop multiplexers [TOADM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0212 using optical switches or wavelength selective switches [WSS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0216 Bidirectional architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0217 Multi-degree architectures, e.g. having a connection degree greater than two
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0267 Optical signaling or routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0272 Transmission of OAMP information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0053 Allocation of signaling, i.e. of overhead other than pilot signals

Abstract

Systems and methods for performing connectivity verification testing and topology discovery in a reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) are provided. The ROADM can include a ROADM block having a plurality of internal ports connected to a fiber shuffle via respective optical fibers. The ROADM block includes a test signal transmitter configured to inject an outgoing test signal having a unique signature into each internal port. The outgoing test signals are out-of-band of optical data signals traversing the ROADM. The ROADM block includes a test signal monitor configured to monitor for incoming test signals at each of the internal ports. The test signal monitor is configured to validate, based on a signature of an incoming test signal received at an internal port of the ROADM block, whether a valid connection exists between the internal port and an internal port of a second ROADM block.

Claims

1. A system for performing connectivity verification testing and topology discovery in a reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) comprising:

a first ROADM block of a plurality of ROADM blocks, wherein each ROADM block is a ROADM degree or an add/drop block, the first ROADM block including;

a first plurality of internal ports including at least a first internal port, a second internal port, and a third internal port, each connected to another ROADM block via respective optical fibers;

a test signal transmitter configured to inject a first outgoing test signal having a first signature into the first internal port and a second outgoing test signal having a second signature different from the first signature into the second internal port, wherein the first outgoing test signal and second outgoing test signal are out-of-band of optical data signals traversing the ROADM; and

a test signal monitor configured to monitor for incoming test signals at each of the plurality of internal ports, wherein the test signal monitor is configured to;

validate, based on a signature of an incoming test signal received at the third internal port of the first ROADM block, that a first connection exists between the third internal port of the first ROADM block and a first internal port of a second plurality of internal ports of a second ROADM block.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the second ROADM block includes a second test signal monitor configured to monitor for the first outgoing test signal at each of the second plurality of internal ports; and

the second test signal monitor is configured to;

verify, based on receiving the first outgoing test signal having the first signature at a second internal port of the second plurality of internal ports, that a second connection exists between the second internal port of the second plurality of internal ports and the first internal port of the first plurality of internal ports.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the first ROADM block is a ROADM degree, and the second ROADM block is an add/drop block.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the test signal transmitter is a first test signal transmitter configured to transmit first transmitted test signals;

the second ROADM block has a second test signal transmitter configured to transmit second transmitted test signals; and

the first test signal transmitter and the second test signal transmitter are configured to synchronize transmission of the first transmitted test signals and the second transmitted test signals to begin transmission from respective internal ports at a same time.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein:

the second ROADM block includes a second test signal monitor configured to monitor each of the second plurality of internal ports for a first duration of time; and

the first test signal transmitter is configured to inject a respective outgoing test signal into each of the first plurality of internal ports for a second duration of time equal to or greater than the first duration multiplied by a number of the second plurality of internal ports.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the test signal transmitter is a first test signal transmitter configured to transmit first transmitted test signals;

the second ROADM block has a second test signal transmitter configured to transmit second transmitted test signals; and

the first test signal transmitter and the second test signal transmitter are configured to begin and end transmission of the first transmitted test signals and the second transmitted test signals through respective internal ports at a different time.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the second ROADM block includes a second test signal monitor configured to monitor each of the second plurality of internal ports for a first duration of time; and

the first test signal transmitter is configured to inject a respective outgoing test signal into each of the first plurality of internal ports for a second duration of time equal to or greater than twice the first duration multiplied by a number of the second plurality of internal ports.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the first signature is amplitude or phase modulated onto an optical carrier of the first outgoing test signal at a frequency of less than 100 MHz, and

the second signature is amplitude or phase modulated onto an optical carrier of the second outgoing test signal at a frequency of less than 100 MHz.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the first plurality of internal ports includes a fourth internal port and a fifth internal port;

the test signal transmitter is configured to inject a third outgoing test signal having a third signature different from the first signature and the second signature into the fourth internal port; and

the test signal monitor is configured to monitor for the third outgoing test signal at each of the first plurality of internal ports and verify, based on receiving the third outgoing test signal at the fifth internal port, that a loopback connection exists between the fourth internal port and the fifth internal port.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the first ROADM block is in a first building and the second ROADM block is a second building separate and distinct from the first building.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the first ROADM block was provided by a first vendor and the second ROADM block was provided by a second vendor different from the first vendor.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the second ROADM block includes a controller configured to maintain state information regarding ROADM connections and issue an alert if a state of ROADM connections changes.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to provide a report indicating how to obtain a desired state of ROADM connections.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the first ROADM block includes a controller configured to instruct the test signal monitor to initiate a test and provide a report of state information regarding ROADM connections to the controller.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the test signal monitor measures an amplitude of the test signal and indicates a misconnection if an amplitude of the test signal is below a threshold.

16. A method of performing connectivity verification testing and topology discovery in a reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM), the method comprising:

injecting, using a test signal transmitter of a first ROADM block of a plurality of ROADM blocks, a first outgoing test signal having a first signature into a first internal port of a first plurality of internal ports and a second outgoing test signal having a second signature different from the first signature into a second internal port of the first plurality of internal ports, wherein the first outgoing test signal is out-of-band of optical data signals traversing the ROADM;

monitoring, using a test signal monitor of the first ROADM block, for an incoming test signal at each of the plurality of internal ports, and;

verifying, based on receiving the incoming test signal at a third internal port of the first plurality of internal ports, that a first connection exists between the third internal port of the first plurality of internal ports and a first internal port of a second plurality of internal ports of a second ROADM block, wherein each of the first internal port, the second internal port, and the third internal port of the first plurality of internal ports is connected to another ROADM block via a respective optical fiber.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

monitoring, by the second ROADM block having a second test signal monitor, for the first outgoing test signal at each of the second plurality of internal ports; and

verifying, by the second test signal monitor based on receiving the first outgoing test signal having the first signature at a second internal port of the second plurality of internal ports, that a second connection exists between the second internal port of the second plurality of internal ports and the first internal port of the first plurality of internal ports.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the first ROADM block is a ROADM degree, and the second ROADM block is an add/drop block.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the test signal transmitter is a first test signal transmitter configured to transmit first transmitted test signals;

the second ROADM block has a second test signal transmitter configured to transmit second transmitted test signals; and

the first test signal transmitter and the second test signal transmitter are configured to synchronize transmission of the first transmitted test signals and the second transmitted test signals to begin transmission from respective internal ports at a same time.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein:

the second ROADM block includes a second test signal monitor configured to monitor each of the second plurality of internal ports for a first duration of time; and

the first test signal transmitter is configured to inject a respective outgoing test signal into each of the first plurality of internal ports for a second duration of time equal to or greater than the first duration multiplied by a number of the second plurality of internal ports.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the test signal transmitter is a first test signal transmitter configured to transmit first transmitted test signals;

the second ROADM block has a second test signal transmitter configured to transmit second transmitted test signals; and

the first test signal transmitter and the second test signal transmitter are configured to begin and end transmission of the first transmitted test signals and the second transmitted test signals through respective internal ports at a different time.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein:

the second ROADM block includes a second test signal monitor configured to monitor each of the second plurality of internal ports for a first duration of time; and

the first test signal transmitter is configured to inject a respective outgoing test signal into each of the first plurality of internal ports for a second duration of time equal to or greater than twice the first duration multiplied by a number of the second plurality of internal ports.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the first signature is amplitude or phase modulated onto an optical carrier of the first outgoing test signal at a frequency of less than 100 MHz, and

the second signature is amplitude or phase modulated onto an optical carrier of the second outgoing test signal at a frequency of less than 100 MHz.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the first plurality of internal ports includes a fourth internal port and a fifth internal port, the method comprising:

injecting, using the test signal transmitter, a third outgoing test signal having a third signature different from the first signature and the second signature into the fourth internal port;

monitoring, using the test signal monitor, for the third outgoing test signal at each of the first plurality of internal ports; and

verifying, based on receiving the third outgoing test signal at the fifth internal port, that a loopback connection exists between the fourth internal port and the fifth internal port.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions configured to cause one or more processors to execute a method of performing connectivity verification testing and topology discovery in a reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM), the method comprising:

injecting, using a test signal transmitter of a first ROADM block of a plurality of ROADM blocks, a first outgoing test signal having a first signature into a first internal port of a first plurality of internal ports and a second outgoing test signal having a second signature different from the first signature into a second internal port of the first plurality of internal ports, wherein the first outgoing test signal is out-of-band of optical data signals traversing the ROADM;

monitoring, using a test signal monitor of the first ROADM block, for an incoming test signal at each of the plurality of internal ports, and;

verifying, based on receiving the incoming test signal at a third internal port of the first plurality of internal ports, that a first connection exists between the third internal port of the first plurality of internal ports and a first internal port of a second plurality of internal ports of a second ROADM block, wherein each of the first internal port, the second internal port, and the third internal port of the first plurality of internal ports is connected to another ROADM block via a respective optical fiber.