AUTOMATED NODE LEVEL FIBRE AUDIT

• US 20170230110A1
• Filed: 04/17/2017
• Published: 08/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Inventors: HURLEY, Dane, KOHLERT, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 10,396,892 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/07 Arrangements for monitoring or testing transmission systems; Arrangements for fault measurement of transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/0731 Testing or characterisation of optical devices, e.g. amplifiers
• 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 14/0217 Multi-degree architectures, e.g. having a connection degree greater than two
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0219 Modular or upgradable architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0227 Operation, administration, maintenance or provisioning [OAMP] of WDM networks, e.g. media access, routing or wavelength allocation

Abstract

A method of automated testing and evaluation of a node of a communications network, the method comprising: a management computer interacting with the node to discover fibre trails within the node that can be safely tested; and the management computer interacting with the node to test at least continuity of each identified fibre trail that can be safely tested.

Claims

1-11. -11. (canceled)

12. A method for automated node-level fiber testing and evaluation, the method comprising:

determining, through communication to a node, a fibre trail associated with the node, wherein the node comprises a reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer with a plurality of modules associated with the fibre trail; and

causing a test of the fibre trail using one or more light sources in the plurality of modules to determine one of continuity and loss of intra- and inter-node fiber connections associated with the fibre trail.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the fibre trail is safely tested if it is one of i) carrying less than all active wavelengths and ii) dark being connected but not carrying active wavelengths.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

when the fibre trail is i) carrying less than all active wavelengths, the causing comprises querying inactive components in the plurality of modules associated with inactive wavelengths for the test, and

when the fibre trail is ii) dark, the causing comprises using inactive components in the plurality of modules to provide the one or more light sources.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more light sources comprise sources of Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) in the plurality of modules.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more light sources comprise amplifiers in the plurality of modules which do not have active wavelengths therethrough and the causing comprises the amplifiers generating Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) at respective outputs.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more light sources are each turned on separately to map the fibre trail.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining comprises communicating to a database to uniquely identify one of modules and status thereof.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the loss is determined by comparing detected optical power with expected optical power.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein, during the test, a wavelength selective switch is configured to switch light from the one or more light sources to map the fibre trail.

21. A reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) node configured for automated node-level fiber testing and evaluation, the ROADM node comprising:

a plurality of modules; and

a computer configured to

determine a fibre trail associated with the plurality of modules, and

cause a test of the fibre trail using one or more light sources in the plurality of modules to determine one of continuity and loss of intra- and inter-node fiber connections associated with the fibre trail.

22. The ROADM node of claim 21, wherein the fibre trail is safely tested if it is one of i) carrying less than all active wavelengths and ii) dark being connected but not carrying active wavelengths.

23. The ROADM node of claim 22, wherein:

when the fibre trail is i) carrying less than all active wavelengths, the causing comprises querying inactive components in the plurality of modules associated with inactive wavelengths for the test, and

when the fibre trail is ii) dark, the causing comprises using active components in the plurality of modules to provide the one or more light sources.

24. The ROADM node of claim 21, wherein the one or more light sources comprise sources of Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) in the plurality of modules.

25. The ROADM node of claim 21, wherein the one or more light sources comprise amplifiers in the plurality of modules which do not have active wavelengths therethrough and the causing comprises the amplifiers generating Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) at respective outputs.

26. The ROADM node of claim 25, wherein the one or more light sources are each turned on separately to map the fibre trail.

27. The ROADM node of claim 21, wherein the fibre trail is determined through communication to a database to uniquely identify one of modules and status thereof

28. The ROADM node of claim 21, wherein the loss is determined by comparing detected optical power with expected optical power.

29. The ROADM node of claim 21, wherein, during the test, a wavelength selective switch is configured to switch light from the one or more light sources to map the fibre trail.

30. A management computer configured for automated node-level fiber testing and evaluation, the management computer configured to:

determine, through communication to a node, a fibre trail associated with the node, wherein the node comprises a reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer with a plurality of modules associated with the fibre trail; and

cause a test of the fibre trail using one or more light sources in the plurality of modules to determine one of continuity and loss of intra- and inter-node fiber connections associated with the fibre trail.

31. The management computer of claim 30, wherein the fibre trail is safely tested if it is one of i) carrying less than all active wavelengths and ii) dark being connected but not carrying active wavelengths.