Optical wavekey network and a method for distributing management information therein

• US 7,827,308 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2003
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent Canada Incorporated (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Grabner, Steve Joseph, Neustadter, Udo Mircea
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dailey, Thomas J
• Application Number:
  US10/733,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20040249976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,517 Days
• Field of Search: 709/238, 709/244, 398/14, 398/31
• US Class Current: 709/244
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0258 Wavelength identification or labelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0267 Optical signaling or routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0276 using pilot tones
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/62 Wavelength based optical switching H04Q11/0062
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0062 Network aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0088 Signalling aspects

Abstract

Optical link related wavekey information and other vendor specific information is distributed in a WDM network using an extension of the standard OSPF routing protocol. The extension makes use of a vendor attribute Link State Advertisement (LSA) which is a new type of opaque LSA. The vendor attribute LSAs include a Vendatt Link State Identifier (ID) field in the LSA header, and a Vendatt Type/Length/Value (TLV) structure. The Vendatt TLV includes a Vendatt-type field identifying the TLV as a Vendatt TLV, and an enterprise code field identifying the vendor whose equipment (node or network element) generates vendor attribute LSAs or is able to receive vendor attribute LSAs by the identified vendor. Vendor attribute LSAs of a specific vendor are designed to be ignored by nodes or network elements of other vendors.

Claims

1. A wavekey network comprising:

a network controller;

a plurality of nodes, each node communicating with said network controller through a management link connecting a selected node, among said plurality of nodes, to said network controller, said each node comprising;

a node controller;

a respective plurality of access ports; and

a respective plurality of inter-nodal interfaces;

and

a plurality of links, each link connecting inter-nodal interfaces of a respective node pair and supporting optical signals occupying channels of different wavelength bands, said channels comprising;

a control channel carrying control signals; and

data channels, each data channel carrying data of a respective connection from an access port of a source node to an access port of a destination node, said each data channel further modulated by a respective wavekey of at least one dither tone;

said node controller configured to communicate nodal information to said network controller, said nodal information comprising, for each data channel of each link emanating from said each node;

an identifier of a connection traversing said each data channel;

an identifier of a central wavelength of said each data channel; and

an identifier of a current wavekey modulating said central wavelength; and

said network controller configured to determine continuity of said connection according to nodal information received from all nodes of said plurality of nodes.

2. The wavekey network of claim 1 wherein said nodal information further comprises an identifier of a software version, said identifier including a text string characterizing a current software load of said each node.

3. The wavekey network of claim 1 wherein said identifier of said current wavekey includes identifiers of frequencies of constituent dither tones of said current wavekey.

4. The wavekey network of claim 1 wherein said nodal information further comprises identifiers of structural components of said each node.

5. The wavekey network of claim 1 wherein said node controller of said each node distributes said nodal information to each other node so that each node possesses nodal information of all nodes of said plurality of nodes.

6. The wavekey network of claim 1 wherein said selected node communicates said nodal information of all nodes to said network controller.

7. The wavekey network of claim 5 wherein said node controller is configured to employ a modified version of a standardized protocol for communicating said nodal information to said network controller, said modified version structured to permit inclusion of said nodal information within control packets conforming to said standardized protocol.

8. The wavekey network of claim 7 wherein said node controller selects said standardized protocol to be the Open-Shortest-Path-First protocol.

9. A method of verifying continuity of paths in a wavekey network comprising a plurality of nodes interconnected through a plurality of multi-channel links, each node having a node controller, the method comprising:

providing a link interface for each multi-channel link among said plurality of multi-channel links;

sending optical signals occupying channels of different wavelength bands of said each multi-channel link, said optical signals comprising control signals occupying a control channel and data signals occupying data channels of said each multi-channel link;

sending, over each data channel of said each multi-channel link, data of a respective connection originating from an access port of a source node and terminating at an access port of a destination node;

modulating said each data channel by a respective wavekey of at least one dither tone;

distributing, by said node controller, nodal information to each other node, said nodal information comprising;

an identifier of a respective connection traversing each data channel of each link emanating from said each node;

an identifier of a central wavelength of said each data channel; and

an identifier of a current wavekey modulating said central wavelength; and

communicating to a network controller, from a gateway node selected from among said plurality of nodes, nodal information pertinent to said each node to enable said network controller to determine continuity of said respective connection.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising said node controller inserting in said nodal information an identifier of a current software version, said identifier including a text string characterizing a current software load of said each node.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said identifier of said current wavekey includes identifiers of frequencies of constituent dither tones of said current wavekey.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising said node controller inserting in said nodal information identifiers of structural components of said each node.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising said node controller indicating, in said nodal information, a working state of said each data channel.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising said node controller employing a modified version of a standardized protocol, said modified version enabling inclusion of said nodal information within control packets conforming to said standardized protocol.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising selecting said standardized protocol to be the Open-Shortest-Path-First protocol.

16. A node in a wavekey network, said node comprising:

a node controller;

a plurality of access ports; and

a plurality of link interfaces, each link interface coupled to a link to another node of said wavekey network, said link supporting optical signals occupying channels of different wavelength bands, said channels comprising;

a control channel carrying control signals; and

data channels, each data channel carrying data of a respective connection originating from an access port of a source node and terminating at an access port of a destination node, said each data channel further modulated by a respective wavekey of at least one dither tone;

said node controller configured to communicate nodal information through said control channel, said nodal information comprising, for each data channel of said link;

an identifier of a connection traversing said each data channel;

an identifier of a central wavelength of said each data channel; and

an identifier of a current wavekey modulating said central wavelength.

17. The node of claim 16 further comprising a medium for storing other nodal information received from other nodes of said wavekey network.

18. The node of claim 16 further comprising an interface to a management link connecting to a network controller of said wavekey network.

19. The node of claim 16 wherein said node controller employs a modified version of a standardized protocol for communicating said nodal information along said link, said modified version structured to permit inclusion of said nodal information within control packets conforming to said standardized protocol.

20. The node of claim 16 wherein said nodal information further comprises:

data characterizing a current software load of said each node; and

identifiers of structural components of said each node.