METHOD FOR AUTO-CONFIGURATION OF A WAVELENGTH SELECTIVE SWITCH IN AN OPTICAL NETWORK

• US 20100221004A1
• Filed: 03/01/2010
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lumentum Operations, LLC (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Lumentum Operations, LLC (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Coomber, David, Doliska, Daniel, Kim, Brian Sungwan, Pegrum, Michael Scott, Boutin, Marc-Antoine, Haslam, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,948,592 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/49
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0201 Add-and-drop multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0204 Broadcast and select arrangements, e.g. with an optical splitter at the input before adding or dropping
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0206 Express channels arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0212 using optical switches or wavelength selective switches [WSS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0005 Switch and router aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0037 Operation

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for auto-configuring a wavelength selective switch (WSS) device having an output port and a plurality of input ports and coupled to a WSS controller. When connected to a WDM optical network, the WSS controller is programmed to utilize one or more optical channel monitors (OCM) coupled to the input and/or output ports to detect which of the wavelengths are present at the input ports. Wavelengths that are not detected on any input port are blocked by the WSS. Any wavelength detected as present at one and only one input port is switched by the WSS to the output port. If a wavelength is detected at two or more input ports, it is either blocked by the WSS at each of the input ports until user intervention, or is blocked at all but one of the input ports as defined by assigned port priorities.

Claims

1. A method for operating a wavelength selective switch (WSS) device in a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical network, the WSS device having an output optical port and a plurality of input optical ports, and being coupled to a WSS controller for selectively provisioning optical connections between the input optical ports and the output optical port at one or more of a plurality of supported wavelengths, the method comprising:

a) determining which of the supported wavelengths are received at each of the input ports using at least one optical channel monitor (OCM) coupled to the WSS device; and

,

b) using the WSS controller to selectively provision optical connections from respective input optical ports to the output optical port at those of the supported wavelengths that are received at a single input optical port of the WSS device, and to block connections between the input optical ports and the output optical port at those of the supported wavelengths that are not received at any of the input optical ports.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step b) comprises:

c) receiving, by the WSS controller, information from the at least one OCM which of the supported wavelengths are present at at least one of the input optical ports;

d) based on the information received from the at least one OCM, determining by the WSS controller which of the received wavelengths are present at one and only one of the input optical ports; and

,

e) at each of the wavelengths identified in step (d), provisioning by the WSS controller an optical connection in the WSS device between a corresponding input optical port and the output optical port.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising using the WSS controller to

identify, based on the information received from the at least one OCM, a wavelength conflict wherein one of the supported wavelengths is detected at two or more of the input ports.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising

at least temporarily blocking optical connections between each of the input ports and the output port at the one of the supported wavelengths for which the wavelength conflict is identified.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

generating a wavelength conflict alarm when the presence of the one of the supported wavelengths at the two or more of the input ports is detected by the at least one OCM; and

.

Responsive to a user input resolving the wavelength conflict, provisioning an optical connection, at the one of the supported wavelengths for which the wavelength conflict was identified, between the output port and one of the two or more input ports receiving said wavelength in accordance with the user input.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the two or more of the input ports are assigned different priorities, further comprising

using the WSS controller to provision an optical connection in the WSS device, at the one of the supported wavelengths for which the wavelength conflict was identified, between the output port and a selected one of the two or more input ports receiving said wavelength that is selected according to the assigned priorities.

7. A wavelength selective switch (WSS) device comprising:

a WSS element having an input port and a plurality of output ports for selectively switching any of a plurality of supported wavelength from any of the input ports to the output port or for blocking thereof,

a WSS controller coupled to the WSS element for controlling the switching, and

one or more optical channel monitors (OCM) coupled to the input and/or output ports of the WSS element and to the WSS controller,

wherein the WSS controller is programmed to auto-configure the WSS element when the WSS device is connected to an optical WDM network, by performing the steps of;

co-operating with the one or more OCM to detect the presence of the supported wavelengths at each of the input ports; and

,

controlling the WSS element in such a way that

i) any the supported wavelengths that is not detected by the OCM at any of the input ports is blocked by the WSS element from reaching the output port;

ii) any wavelength whose presence is detected by the OCM at one and only one of the input ports is switched to the output port; and

,

iii) any supported wavelength whose presence is detected at more than one of the input ports is either blocked at each of the input ports until user intervention, or is blocked at all but one of the input ports and is directed to the output port from a single one of the input ports receiving said wavelengths which has a comparatively higher priority assigned thereto.