Automated node level fibre audit

• US 10,396,892 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2017
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ciena Corporation
• Inventors: Hurley, Dane, Kohlert, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Vanderpuye, Kenneth N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Jai M
• Application Number:
  US15/489,086
• Publication Number:
  US 20170230110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 fiber 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 fiber trail that can be safely tested.

Claims

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

determining, through communication to a node, a listing of equipment and 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;

determining the fibre trail can be safely tested based on identifying a port trail of each active wavelength utilizing the listing of equipment, wherein the fibre trail is safely tested if it is one of i) carrying active wavelengths which are not subject to interference in a course of testing and ii) dark being connected but not carrying active wavelengths; and

causing a test of the fibre trail using one or more light sources in the plurality of modules to determine continuity and an amount of measured fiber loss of intra and inter-node fiber connections associated with the fibre trail utilizing Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

when the fibre trail is i) carrying active wavelengths which are not subject to interference in the course of testing, the caused test 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 caused test comprises using inactive components in the plurality of modules to provide the one or more light sources.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more light sources comprise sources of the ASE in the plurality of modules.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more light sources comprise amplifiers in the plurality of modules which do not have active wavelengths therethrough and the caused test comprises the amplifiers generating the ASE at respective outputs.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more light sources are used to map the fibre trail.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises communicating to a database to uniquely identify one of modules and status thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the loss is determined by comparing detected optical power with expected optical power.

8. The method of claim 1, 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.

9. 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

wherein a computer connected to the ROADM node is configured to

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

determine the fibre trail can be safely tested based on identifying a port trail of each active wavelength utilizing the listing of equipment, wherein the fibre trail is safely tested if it is one of i) carrying active wavelengths which are not subject to interference in a course of testing and ii) dark being connected but not carrying active wavelengths; and

cause a test of the fibre trail using one or more light sources in the plurality of modules to determine continuity and an amount of measured fiber loss of intra and inter-node fiber connections associated with the fibre trail utilizing Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE).

10. The ROADM node of claim 9, wherein:

when the fibre trail is i) carrying active wavelengths which are not subject to interference in the course of testing, the caused test 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.

11. The ROADM node of claim 9, wherein the one or more light sources comprise sources of the ASE in the plurality of modules.

12. The ROADM node of claim 9, wherein the one or more light sources comprise amplifiers in the plurality of modules which do not have active wavelengths therethrough and the caused test comprises the amplifiers generating the ASE at respective outputs.

13. The ROADM node of claim 12, wherein the one or more light sources are used to map the fibre trail.

14. The ROADM node of claim 9, wherein the fibre trail is determined through communication to a database to uniquely identify one of modules and status thereof.

15. The ROADM node of claim 9, wherein the loss is determined by comparing detected optical power with expected optical power.

16. The ROADM node of claim 9, 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.

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

determine, through communication to a node, a listing of equipment and 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;

determine the fibre trail can be safely tested based on identifying a port trail of each active wavelength utilizing the listing of equipment, wherein the fibre trail is safely tested if it is one of i) carrying active wavelengths which are not subject to interference in a course of testing and ii) dark being connected but not carrying active wavelengths; and

cause a test of the fibre trail using one or more light sources in the plurality of modules to determine continuity and an amount of measured fiber loss of intra and inter-node fiber connections associated with the fibre trail utilizing Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE).