Comprises aggregating data received by a first number of server ports of an edge switch. The server ports operate at a first data speed. The aggregated data is distributed into a plurality of virtual lanes with each virtual lane carrying a portion of the aggregated data at a second data speed less than the first data speed.

Systems and methods include an optical switch system which provides a combination of .Math.LED arrays, PDs, imaging fiber cables, and crosspoint switch on a single chip. The system includes one or more input ports with each inputport configured to connect to an inputfiber bundle. The system additionally includes one or more output ports with each output port configured to connect to an outputfiber cable, wherein each of the inputfiber bundle and the outputfiber cable include a plurality of fiber cores. An electrical crosspoint switch is connected to the one or more input ports and the one or more output ports, wherein the electrical crosspoint switch is configured to connect a given input port to a corresponding output port, including all signals in the input fiber cable to the corresponding output fiber cable.

Connectors for a networking device may be provided. A networking device may comprise a first plurality of switch bars each comprising a first switch type arranged parallel to one another, a second plurality of switch bars each comprising a second switch type arranged parallel to one another, and a third plurality of switch bars each comprising a third switch type arranged parallel to one another. The first plurality of switch bars, the second plurality of switch bars, and the third plurality of switch bars may be arranged orthogonally. A first one of the first plurality of switch bars may be connected to a first one of the second plurality of switch bars via a retractable mechanical connector mechanism.

A communications network includes a central communication unit, an optical transport medium, and a plurality of remote radio base stations. The central communication unit generates, within a selected millimeter-wave frequency band, a plurality of adjacent two-tone optical frequency conjugate pairs. Each conjugate pair includes a first optical tone carrying a modulated data signal, and a second optical tone carrying a reference local oscillator signal. The optical transport medium transports the plurality of two-tone conjugate pairs to the plurality of radio base stations, and each base station receives at least one conjugate pair at an optical front end thereof. The optical front end separates the first optical tone from the second optical tone, and converts the first optical tone into a millimeter-wave radio frequency electrical signal. The base station further includes a radio antenna system for wirelessly transmitting the millimeter-wave radio frequency electrical signal to at least one wireless receiving device.

A radio frequency (RF) beam transmission component having optical inputs and electrical outputs may include a wavelength selective switch (WSS) that has a plurality of optical WSS outputs. Each optical WSS output may be configured to transmit one or more wavelengths of the incoming optical signals. The RF beam transmission component may include a plurality of photodetectors (PD), each photodetector having an optical PD input coupled to one or more of said plurality of optical WSS outputs and a corresponding electrical output of a plurality of PD electrical outputs. The RF beam transmission component may further include a lens that has a plurality of electrical inputs and each electrical input may be electrically coupled to at least one of the plurality of electrical PD outputs. The lens may further have a plurality of electrical lens output ports.

An optical transmission apparatus outputs a main signal. An optical transmission apparatus superimposes a monitoring signal on an optical signal and outputs it. A submarine branching apparatus includes a return unit configured to return the monitoring signal received from the optical transmission apparatus and is configured to switch an output destination of the main signal received from the optical transmission apparatus to an optical transmission apparatus or the optical transmission apparatus. The optical transmission apparatus is configured to detect the monitoring signal returned from the return unit and notifies the optical transmission apparatus of a result of the detection. The optical transmission apparatus instructs the submarine branching apparatus to switch the output destination of the main signal in accordance with the notification.

Embodiments of this application disclose an optical switch. The optical switch includes at least one first port, at least one second port, a first wavelength division multiplexing WDM apparatus, an optical splitter, an optical monitoring apparatus, and an optical switching apparatus. The first port is configured to transmit an input first optical signal to the first WDM apparatus, where the first optical signal is a multi-wavelength signal. The first WDM apparatus is configured to demultiplex the first optical signal. The optical splitter is configured to split a demultiplexed first optical signal to obtain a first sub-signal and a second sub-signal. The optical switching apparatus is configured to perform optical switching on the first sub-signal. The second port is configured to output a first sub-signal obtained after optical switching. The optical monitoring apparatus is configured to perform optical performance monitoring on the second sub-signal.

There is described a reconfigurable array for facilitating dynamic combination and distribution of RF signals. The reconfigurable array comprises: (a) a number, N.sub.i, of input devices for generating or supplying RF input signals; (b) a number, N.sub.o, of output devices for analysing or forwarding RF output signals; (c) an optical switch matrix comprising a number, N.sub.p, of ports, wherein each of the ports is an optical input or an optical output, wherein each input device is coupled to a respective port of the optical switch matrix at an optical input, wherein each output device is coupled to a respective port of the optical switch matrix at an optical output, and wherein the optical switch matrix is configurable to enable optical connection of any optical input to any optical output; and (d) a plurality of multi-port devices that each have multiple uncommon ports which couple to a single common port, wherein each port of each multi-port device is coupled to a respective port of the optical switch matrix, and wherein each multi-port device enables either fan-in of optical signals from the uncommon ports to the common port or fan-out of optical signals from the common port to the uncommon ports depending on the configuration of the reconfigurable array. The plurality of multi-port devices include at least one M:1 multi-port device, where M is a predetermined maximum number of RF signals for the reconfigurable array to fan-in or fan-out, where M≤N.sub.i and M≤N.sub.o.

An optical communication system includes a co-packaged optical module and a heatsink mounted to the co-packaged optical module. The co-packaged optical module includes a processor disposed on a substrate and a plurality of light engines disposed at different locations around the processor on the substrate. The processor and the light engines generating different amounts of heat during operation. The heatsink includes a plurality of heat pipes non-uniformly distributed throughout the heatsink to remove the different amounts of heat generated at a location of the processor and respective locations of the different ones of the light engines.

The technology of this application relates to a fault detection method for an optical switching apparatus, a network device, and a system, to improve accuracy and efficiency of detecting whether the optical switching apparatus is faulty. The method includes sending a probe optical signal to a target path, where the probe optical signal is to be transmitted along the target path, and the target path includes at least one optical switching apparatus, receiving a plurality of reflected optical signals from the target path, where the plurality of reflected optical signals are formed after the probe optical signal is reflected by the target path, determining a target reflected optical signal in the plurality of reflected optical signals, where the target reflected optical signal is a reflected optical signal reflected by the optical switching apparatus, and determining, based on the target reflected optical signal, whether the optical switching apparatus is faulty.