An optical add-drop apparatus dropping a signal in input optical fibers in an optical cross-connect apparatus or adding a signal into output optical fibers from the cross-connect apparatus, optical cross-connect portions of the cross-connect apparatus connected such that a cross-connect portion internal connection output port is directly connected to an internal connection input port of another cross-connect portion and is indirectly connected via the other cross-connect portion to an internal connection output port of a further cross-connect portion, the add-drop apparatus having: photocouplers connected to part or all of the input fibers connected to each cross-connect portion; and drop signal receiving apparatuses each having optical switches each receiving and alternately selecting a signal output from photocouplers connected to respective different cross-connect portions of the cross-connect portions out of the photocouplers, the drop signal receiving apparatuses selecting a signal of a wavelength for each signal respectively output from the optical switches.

One example of a system includes a receptacle including a plurality of bays. Each bay of the receptacle supports 1-lane of network communications. The receptacle is to connect to a multi-lane optical cable to provide a multi-lane port or connect to a plurality of 1-lane optical cables to provide a plurality of 1-lane ports.

A switch module includes a switch integrated circuit (IC), an InP chip, and a planar lightwave circuit (PLC). The InP chip may include a plurality of light sources, an optical splitter, and a plurality of modulators.

A high-density networking system includes first networking device(s) coupled to a second networking device. The second networking device has a port row including first ports and a first subset of third ports, and second ports and a second subset of third ports that are each moveable relative to the first ports and the first subset of third ports, with the third ports coupled to the first networking device(s). The second networking device includes a switch device coupling the third ports to its processing system. The switch device in second networking device routes data from the processing system through a network via the first subset of third ports/first networking device(s), determines that data received from the processing system cannot reach the network via the first subset of third ports and, in response, routes data received from the processing system through the network via the second subset of third ports/first networking device(s).

Process margin relaxation is provided in relation to a compensated-for process via a first optical device, fabricated to satisfy an operational specification when a compensated-for process is within a first tolerance range; a second optical device, fabricated to satisfy the operational specification when the compensated-for process is within second tolerance range, different than the first tolerance range; a first optical switch connected to an input and configured to output an optical signal received from the input to one of the first optical device and the second optical device; and a second optical switch configured to combine outputs from the first optical device and the second optical device.

Methods and apparatus for a reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer (ROADM) cluster node are provided. In some embodiments, the ROADM cluster node includes a set of g line chassis for performing line functionality. In some embodiments, the ROADM cluster node further includes a set of h add-drop chassis for performing add-drop functionality. In some embodiments, each of the g line chassis includes a set of N line cards and a set of M interconnect cards. In some embodiments, the ROADM cluster node further includes a set of M interconnect chassis configured for interconnecting each line chassis to each other line chassis. In some embodiments, the set of M interconnect chassis is further configured for interconnecting each line chassis to each of the h add-drop chassis. In some embodiments, the ROADM cluster node separates the line functionality and add-drop functionality. In some embodiments, 1.15N≤M≤1.5N.

The invention relates to a distribution frame device (1) for communications and data technology for switching over at least one electrical subscriber line (2) from a first service to a second service, wherein the distribution frame device (1) has a connection technology (3) for the electrical subscriber lines (2), a connection technology (4) for the electrical lines (5) of the first service and a connection technology (6) for optical fibres of the second service, wherein the distribution frame device (1) further has an active technology with at least one converter (14) for converting optical signals into electrical signals and vice versa for the second service, wherein a connection for optical fibres and a connection for electrical lines are associated with the at least one converter (14), wherein the distribution frame device (1) has means by means of which the connection technology (3) of the subscribers can selectively be connected to the connection technology (4) of the first service or to the associated electrical connection of the converter (14).

An optically powered switch. An example optically powered switch generally includes a light source configured to output an optical signal. The example optically powered switch generally includes a photodiode configured to convert the optical signal to an electrical signal. The example optically powered switch generally includes a bias and control circuit configured to power at least one radio frequency (RF) switch using the electrical signal.

This patent document provides optical processing and switching of optical channels based on mode-division multiplexing (MDM) and wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). In one implementation, a method is provided for processing different optical signal channels to include receiving different input optical signal channels in different optical waveguide modes and in different wavelengths; converting input optical signal channels in multimodes into single-mode optical signal channels, respectively; subsequent to the conversion, processing single-mode optical signal channels obtained from the different input optical signal channels to re-group single-mode optical signal channels into different groups of processed single-mode optical signal channels; and converting different groups of the processed single-mode optical signal channels into different groups of output optical signal channels containing one or more optical signal channels in multimodes multimode signals to direct the groups as different optical outputs.

Process margin relaxation is provided in relation to a compensated-for process via a first optical device, fabricated to satisfy an operational specification when a compensated-for process is within a first tolerance range; a second optical device, fabricated to satisfy the operational specification when the compensated-for process is within second tolerance range, different than the first tolerance range; a first optical switch connected to an input and configured to output an optical signal received from the input to one of the first optical device and the second optical device; and a second optical switch configured to combine outputs from the first optical device and the second optical device.