The present invention discloses a method for assigning and processing a label in an optical network. The method includes: learning that a label switched path is required to be established in an optical network; generating a label, in which the label is used for indicating that a first optical channel data unit is multiplexed to a second optical channel data unit; the label includes a tributary slot type indication field that is used for indicating a tributary slot type of the second optical channel data unit, and the label further includes a tributary slot assignment indication field that is used for indicating a tributary slot occupied in the second optical channel data unit into which the first optical channel data unit is multiplexed; and sending the label to a node on the label switched path by a signaling message of GMPLS.

In some examples, a network device comprises one or more processors operably coupled to a memory, and a routing unit configured for execution by the one or more processors to route data traffic on a layer 3 network overlaying an optical transport system; receive optical supervisory channel data for an optical supervisory channel of the optical transport system; determine the optical supervisory channel data indicates an event affecting transmission or detection of a signal transported by a wavelength, the wavelength traversing an optical fiber of the optical transport system and underlying a link of the layer 3 network; and reconfigure, in response to determining the optical supervisory channel data indicates the event, a configuration of the network device to modify routing operations of the network device with respect to the data traffic on the layer 3 network.

Systems and methods for efficient prioritized restoration of services implemented in a node in a network utilizing a control plane include releasing higher priority services affected by a fault on a link adjacent to the node immediately via control plane signaling such that the higher priority services mesh restore; tracking mesh restoration of the released higher priority services; and releasing lower priority services based on the tracking, subsequent to the mesh restoration of the higher priority services, wherein the higher priority services and the lower priority services comprise one or more of Optical Transport Network (OTN) connections, Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) connections, and Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) connections.

A method and system are disclosed in which a link state advertisement message (LSA) conforming to a Generalized Multiprotocol Label Switching (GMPLS) routing protocol is generated and transmitted. The LSA is associated with a TE Link between a transmit node and a receive node in a network. The transmit node supplies a plurality of optical signals, each of which has a plurality of frequencies, the frequencies being allocated among a plurality of spectral portions such that the plurality of spectral portions are grouped into a plurality of frequency slots. The LSA may include information indicative of a number of spectral portions, e.g., spectral slices, which correspond to frequencies of selected ones of the plurality of optical signals, said selected ones of the plurality of optical signals being available to carry data from the transmit node to the receive node.

The present disclosure generally relates to the support of optical connection setup. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a technique of supporting provision of a connection via a data communication network of an optical network between packet network islands. A method embodiment comprises establishing a Border Gateway Protocol-Link State, BGP-LS, connection via the DCN between a first edge node of the first packet network island and a BGP-LS node in the optical network.

A data center network includes a plurality of packet-optical switches each at a location in the data center network and each including a switch fabric comprising both a Layer 1 fabric and a packet fabric communicatively coupled to one or more line ports; wherein the plurality of packet-optical switches are communicatively coupled to one another in a topology to form data connectivity in the data center network, and wherein each of the plurality of packet-optical switches is configured to provide the data connectivity through the Layer 1 switch bypassing the packet fabric when the location does not require Layer 2 forwarding in the topology, and provide the data connectivity through the Layer 1 switch and using the packet fabric to provide the data service with multi-point connectivity when the location requires Layer 2 forwarding in the topology.

Embodiments of the present invention provide an sending device includes: a processor, configured to obtain a first optical packet payload and/or a third optical label, and obtain a second optical label and a second optical packet payload corresponding to the second optical label; and an exporter, configured to send to an optical switching device, within a guard time between a moment for sending the second optical label and a moment for sending the second optical packet payload, the third optical label and/or the first optical packet payload that are/is obtained by the processor, so that the optical switching device performs, according to the third optical label, switch processing on a third optical packet payload corresponding to the third optical label, and/or the optical switching device performs switch processing on the first optical packet payload according to a first optical label corresponding to the first optical packet payload.

A method of local path protection in a node on a shared alternative path of a network. The method comprising receiving a signal switched on a primary label switched path (LSP). The signal is switched by lambda-switching or time-division multiplex TDM switching. The method further comprises receiving identification information arranged to identify the signal, and forwarding the signal on the alternative path based on the identification information.

A packet optical network may include a packet optical gateway node that is configured to advertise a segment label to other nodes in the network where the segment label is used by a source node in place of a conventional segment routing label when the source node generates the list of labels included in the header of a data packet while establishing a path through a network. The segment label differs from a conventional segment routing label in that the segment label indicates the L0/L1 device or path as opposed to the L2/L3 device indicated by a conventional segment routing label.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and an apparatus for virtualizing a passive optical network, and a passive optical network virtualization system. The method includes: receiving a virtualized passive optical network creation message, where the virtualized passive optical network creation message includes an ID of a to-be-created VPON and at least one wavelength flow identifier -flow ID; and establishing, according to the VPON ID and the at least one -flow ID, a communication connection relationship with at least one optical network unit in the virtualized passive optical network identified by the VPON ID. According to the method provided by the embodiments of the present invention, on one hand, complex networking performed to deal with different application scenarios is avoided.