Systems and methods of end-to-end data path integrity validation of a service with a data path at Layer 1 and Layer 2 implemented by a network element include, responsive to initiation of a test, messaging between network elements in the data path to coordinate defect and statistics collection at each of the network elements in the data path; receiving results for the defect and statistics collection from each of the network elements in the data path; and summarizing the received results to form a consolidated report for the test across all of the network elements in the data path.

Systems and methods are implemented at an Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (OADM) node using virtual sections to provide sectional control over an optical link over a foreign-controlled optical network. The systems and methods include obtaining and storing a first power spectral density snapshot of an optical link, from an optical spectrum monitor and when the optical link is in a non-fault condition; responsive to detection of a fault on channels traversing the optical link, obtaining a second power spectral density snapshot at a receiving end of the optical link; analyzing the first power spectral density snapshot and the second power spectral density snapshot; and determining the fault is on the optical link based on the analyzing.

The present disclosure provides a protection group superposition switching method, a control apparatus, and an optical communication device. Multiple protection state machines are implemented by using a field programmable gate array (FPGA). Each protection state machine independently performs an automatic protection switching (APS) protocol operation for at least one protection group that is pre-associated with the protection state machine. At least one protection status table for recording a status of each protection group is updated according to a result of the APS protocol operation, and a cross-connection table for traffic cross-connection between communication units is updated according to the protection status table; the updated cross-connection table is configured into a cross-connection chip, so that the cross-connection chip performs traffic cross-connection according to the updated cross-connection table.

An Optical Transport Network (OTN) fault localization method, an iterative OTN fault localization method, and an OTN network use OTN tandem connection monitors operating in a Monitor mode to provide fault localization. The methods and network use TCMs for fault localization that can be performed manually or automatically to isolate a fault in a multi-domain OTN network to a particular link, switching fabric, or transport function. Additionally, a roles-based assignment scheme is presented for automatically assigning TCM levels between domains and links in multi-domain OTN networks. The fault localization methods enable fault localization in an automated and non-intrusive manner.

The present disclosure discloses a protection switching method and a node. The method can include: receiving, by an intermediate node, a first protection switching request message sent by an upstream neighboring node, where the first protection switching request message is used to request to activate a first protection path, and the intermediate node is a node on the first protection path; determining, by the intermediate node, that the first protection path needs to occupy N1 timeslots, and selecting N1 timeslots for the first protection path from N2 available timeslots in a preset order; and sending, by the intermediate node, a second protection switching request message to the downstream neighboring node, where the second protection switching request message is used to request the downstream neighboring node to complete a cross-connection, on the first protection path, between the downstream neighboring node and the intermediate node based on the first group of timeslots.

The present invention relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a method and an apparatus for indicating a fault in flexible Ethernet. The method for indicating a fault includes: detecting whether a fault occurs in at least one physical layer entity included in a flexible Ethernet group; and when a fault occurs in the at least one physical layer entity, periodically sending a fault indication code block to a flexible Ethernet client corresponding to the at least one physical layer entity in which the fault occurs. Compared to the prior art, in the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present invention, not all bandwidth of a downstream transmission path in the flexible Ethernet is occupied, and data transmission on a non-faulty channel in a same flexible Ethernet group is not affected, thereby reducing a quantity of affected flexible Ethernet clients.

A protection switching method, including sending, by a first end node, a first protection switching request message to an intermediate node in response to a fault occurring on a working path between the first end node and a second end node, wherein a protection path of the working path comprises the first end node, the second end node, and at least one intermediate node, receiving, by the first end node, a second protection switching request message from the intermediate node, and switching service data to the protection path for transmission in response to receiving the second protection switching request message, where one overhead frame of each of the first and second protection switching request messages has at least two overhead information groups, and each of the at least two overhead information groups comprises a request type field, a request signal identifier field, and a bridge flag field.

The present disclosure discloses a protection switching method and a node. The method includes: receiving, by an intermediate node, a first protection switching request message sent by an upstream neighboring node, where the first protection switching request message is used to request to activate a first protection path, and the intermediate node is a node on the first protection path; determining, by the intermediate node, that the first protection path needs to occupy N1 timeslots, and selecting N1 timeslots for the first protection path from N2 available timeslots in a preset order; and sending, by the intermediate node, a second protection switching request message to the downstream neighboring node, where the second protection switching request message is used to request the downstream neighboring node to complete a cross-connection, on the first protection path, between the downstream neighboring node and the intermediate node based on the first group of timeslots.

A communication method, a communications device, and a storage medium, where, in the method, a first communications device receives, by using a link corresponding to a first FlexE group, first indication information sent by a second communications device, where for a slot in N slots of the first FlexE group, the first indication information is used to indicate that the second communications device has assigned a FlexE client to the slot, or used to indicate that the second communications device has not assigned a FlexE client to the slot, and the first communications device assigns the FlexE client to the slot in the N slots of the first FlexE group, or cancels, based on the first indication information, the FlexE client that has been assigned to the slot.

A communication method is provided. In embodiments of this application, first fault information is obtained by using a first port, and second fault information is sent based on the first fault information by using a second port. The first port is a first-type port, the first-type port transmits information according to a standard Ethernet protocol, the first fault information is first-type fault information, the second port is a second-type port, the second-type port transmits information according to a flexible Ethernet protocol, the first-type fault information includes at least one of local fault information and remote fault information, the second fault information is second-type fault information, and the second-type fault information is used to indicate that a link corresponding to the standard Ethernet protocol is faulty.