A disaggregated network element of an optical transport network, addressable at a single IP address, includes an active management and control unit (MCU) communicatively coupled to a standby MCU by physical cables and multiple tributary units, each of which performs a function in a data plane that carries user traffic and is communicatively coupled to both MCUs by respective physical cables. The MCUs host respective copies of configuration information for the network element and synchronize the information between them. In response to a loss of communication between the MCUs, a tributary unit designated as a witness tributary unit is consulted to determine the status of the MCUs, after which actions are taken to provide control plane redundancy. In response to a failure of an MCU, a backup copy of the configuration information is stored on the witness tributary unit and subsequently synchronized with a copy stored on the remaining MCU.

Disclosed herein is a method of transmitting a data stream from a first location to a second location through an optical network, as well as a corresponding performance monitoring unit, a transmitting arrangement and a receiving arrangement. The method comprises the steps of transmitting said data stream from said first location to said second location along a working path, wherein said data stream is transmitted in the form of a super channel comprising a number of n wavelengths within a predefined reserved wavelength range, monitoring the performance of the transmission based on the super channel signal received at said second location, and in case the performance is observed to drop below a predetermined performance threshold, unburdening the super channel from a part of said data stream while maintaining the reserved wavelength range for said super channel, by redirecting said part of the data stream for transmittal along at least one restoration path connecting said first and second locations, and transmitting the remainder of said data stream within the super channel on a number of wavelengths that is less than n, and/or with a reduced transmission rate for at least some of the wavelengths in said super channel.

Concepts and technologies for multi-lane optical transport network recovery are provided herein. In an embodiment, a system includes a multi-lane optical transceiver. The multi-lane optical transceiver can include a transmitter optical sub-assembly, a receiver optical sub-assembly, and a controller that includes a processor and a memory that stores computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations. The operations can include detecting an optical interruption event corresponding to an optical lane within a multi-lane optical path. The operations can further include instantiating an optical protocol alarm based on the optical interruption event. The operations can further include generating an optical protocol message based on the optical protocol alarm. The operations can further include instructing a peer multi-lane optical transceiver to alter optical transmission along the multi-lane optical path based on the optical protocol message.

An optical branching/coupling device includes: a first optical branching unit that splits first light with a first and a second wavelength, and outputs second light and third light; a wavelength selector that receives the second light, receives fourth light with a third wavelength, output fifth and sixth light, one of the fifth light and the sixth light including an optical signal of the first wavelength of the second light and including the fourth light, and the other including an optical signal of the second wavelength; a first light switch that receives the fifth light and the sixth light, output one of the fifth light and the sixth light as seventh light, and output the other as eighth light; and a second light switch that receives the third light, receives the eighth light, and outputs the third or the eighth light that have been input as ninth light.

A device includes a first excitation light source that emits first excitation light, a second excitation light source that emits second excitation light, a wavelength converter that converts signal light of a first wavelength into signal light of a second wavelength according to the first excitation light, and a measurer that measures a frequency difference between the first excitation light and the second excitation light, wherein when an abnormality of the first excitation light is detected, the second excitation light source is adjusted so that a frequency of the second excitation light is aligned with a frequency of the first excitation light before the abnormality detection, based on the frequency difference before the abnormality detection, and the wavelength converter converts the signal light of the first wavelength into the signal light of the second wavelength according to the second excitation light, after adjusting the frequency of the second excitation light.

A method and an apparatus for spectrum defragmentation, where the method includes: obtaining, by a transmit end, a target data stream; sending the target data stream on one line using a to-be-adjusted frequency band; adjusting, on another line, an occupied frequency band of the target data stream from the to-be-adjusted frequency band to a target frequency band; switching the target data stream to the other line; and transmitting the target data stream using the target frequency band.

When a plurality of transport apparatuses perform their respective signal compensations using dummy lights, such compensations performed by the plurality of transport apparatuses affect each other in multiplex, with the result that such compensations produce no expected effects. A transport apparatus of the invention is characterized in that the transport apparatus comprises: a transmission unit that transmits a first signal; a generation unit that generates a dummy signal for compensating the first signal transmitted by the transmission unit; and a combination unit that combines the first signal with the dummy signal; wherein the generation unit adjusts the intensity of the dummy signal, which is to be generated, such that a second signal obtained by combining the first signal with the dummy signal will have a constant intensity.

Concepts and technologies for multi-lane optical transport network recovery are provided herein. In an embodiment, a system includes a multi-lane optical transceiver. The multi-lane optical transceiver can include a transmitter optical sub-assembly, a receiver optical sub-assembly, and a controller that includes a processor and a memory that stores computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations. The operations can include detecting an optical interruption event corresponding to an optical lane within a multi-lane optical path. The operations can further include instantiating an optical protocol alarm based on the optical interruption event. The operations can further include generating an optical protocol message based on the optical protocol alarm. The operations can further include instructing a peer multi-lane optical transceiver to alter optical transmission along the multi-lane optical path based on the optical protocol message.

A transport network, a node, and a method are disclosed. The transport network, the node, and the method detect a failure of a super channel originating from a sliceable light source that is routed through the transport network, by detecting an optical loss of signal by an optical power monitoring device, in presence or absence of an optical loss of signal of the complete band by at least one photo detector. This information is analyzed with a fault detection algorithm using a patch cable network configuration to determine a fault indication for a failure within the first node. The fault signal indicative of the fault indication is then passed to another node on the first path.

Embodiments herein include methods and apparatuses for providing optical channel protection by a switching controller in an optical networking system. The switching controller may receive, from a light module, a digital fault status message that indicates whether a digital frame demodulated from an optical signal include a fault. The switching controller may receive from an Optical Supervisory Channel (OSC) module, an Optical Layer Defect Propagation (OLDP) status message that indicates an OSC status of the optical signal on a current optical path. The switching controller may receive, from an Optical Add Drop Multiplexer (OADM) module, an optical power status message that indicates a measured power level of the optical signal on the optical path. Based on at least one of the OLDP status, the optical power status, or the digital fault status message, the switching controller may determine the optical path as a working path or a protecting path.