Apparatus and method for self routing control mechanism for restoring fiber optic communications network connections

• US 6,292,464 B1
• Filed: 09/17/1997
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Elahmadi, Siraj Nour, Akhtar, Shahid
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pezzlo, John
• Application Number:
  US08/932,252
• Time in Patent Office: 1,462 Days
• Field of Search: 370/222, 370/223, 370/224, 370/399, 370/411, 359/119, 359/110, 359/117, 709/233
• US Class Current: 370/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/032 using working and protection systems H04J14/0287 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0227 Operation, administration, maintenance or provisioning [OAMP] of WDM networks, e.g. media access, routing or wavelength allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0283 WDM ring architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0284 WDM mesh architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0295 Shared protection at the optical channel (1:1, n:m)

Abstract

A system and method for connecting traffic along a communications network is accomplished by rerouting traffic upon the detection of a fault condition along a primary connection path. A laser-diode transmitter, uniquely tagged, transmits a specific bit pattern signature header unique to the transmitter at the beginning of a predetermined transmission sequence. The network recognizes the unique identifier and configures the network to route all traffic from the identified transmitter along a specific path to its intended destination.

Claims

1. A communication system for redundantly connecting a plurality of nodes in a fiber optic network environment comprising:

a primary fiber optic connection path operably connecting a first node comprising a first laser transmitter and a second node comprising a second laser transmitter;

a plurality of alternate fiber optic connection paths operably connecting said first node and said second node;

a first switch for transmitting a first signal having a first wavelength and including an identifying signature characteristic indicative of the first laser transmitter in a first direction along a selected one of said alternate fiber optic connection paths upon the detection of a specified event, wherein said selected one of said alternate fiber optic connection paths is selected based on predetermined routing information stored in a look-up table associated with said first switch using said identifying signature characteristic indicative of said first laser transmitter wherein said identifying signature characteristic of the first laser transmitter is a predetermined bit pattern associated with a transmission from said first node.

2. The communication system as in claim 1, further comprising:

a second switch corresponding to said second node for receiving said first signal, said second switch for transmission in a second direction along said selected one of said alternate fiber optic connection paths from said second switch to said first switch.

3. The communication system as in claim 1, wherein said specified event is a fault condition.

4. The communication system as in claim 1, further including an optical cross connect within said first switch.

5. A method of communicating among a plurality of nodes in a fault tolerant fiber optic network with multiple path connections among nodes, the method including the steps of:

receiving an indication of a detected fault condition along a first fiber optic path connection between a first node comprising a laser transmitter and a second node comprising a laser transmitter; and

routing traffic along a second fiber optic path from said first node to said second node based on an identifying signature characteristic of the first laser transmitter;

wherein said second fiber optic path is selected from a plurality of alternate fiber optic connection paths based on predetermined routing information stored in a look-up table associated with a first switch connected to said first node using said identifying signature characteristic indicative of said first laser transmitter wherein said identifying signature characteristic of said first laser transmitter is a predetermined bit pattern associated with a transmission from said first node.

6. The method of communicating as in claim 5, further including the steps of:

routing traffic from said second node to said first node on a selected fiber optic path based on a predetermined signature characteristic associated with said second laser transmitter.

7. The method of communicating as in claim 6, wherein said selected fiber optic path is equivalent to said second fiber optic path.

8. The method of communicating as in claim 6, wherein said selected fiber optic path includes portions equivalent to said second fiber optic path.

9. The method of communicating as in claim 6, wherein said selected fiber optic path includes portions equivalent to said first fiber optic path.

10. A communication system for communicating among a plurality of nodes in a fault tolerant fiber optic network with multiple path connections among nodes including:

means for receiving an indication of a fault condition along a first fiber optic path connection between a first node comprising a first laser transmitter and a second node comprising a second laser transmitter; and

means for routing traffic along a second fiber optic path from said first node to said second node based on an identifying signature characteristic associated with said first laser transmitters wherein said second fiber optic path is selected from a plurality of alternate fiber optic connection paths based on predetermined routing information stored in a look-up table associated with a first switch connected to said first node using said identifying signature characteristic indicative of said first laser transmitter, wherein said identifying signature characteristic of the first laser transmitter is a predetermined bit pattern associated with a transmission from said first node.

11. Communication system as in claim 10, further including:

means for routing traffic from said second node to said first node on a selected fiber optic path from said second node to said first node by switching based on an identifying signature characteristic associated with said second laser transmitter.

12. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein said identifying signature characteristic associated with said second laser transmitter is another predetermined bit pattern.