Techniques are provided for identifying and monitoring connections in an optical system. A plurality of optical ports is configured to receive a plurality of optical links that couple with one or more remote optical devices. At least one light source generates identification (ID) signals. At least one optical element configured to direct the ID signals into transmission paths from the source optical device to the remote optical device/s over the plurality of optical links. The remote optical device/s include one or more optical elements that direct the ID signals through a set of WDM filters and returns the ID signals. At least one optical element directs returned ID signals to an optical channel monitor. At least one microprocessor configured to execute control instructions to generate the ID signals and process one or more outputs of the optical channel monitor in response to the returned ID signals to identify the plurality of optical links.

A large number of degrees for relays of optical signals transmitted via optical paths in the degrees is secured. A wavelength cross-connect device 20A performs a relay by splitting optical signals from respective degrees indicated by reference numerals 40l, 40h, 40m, 40q, each of the degrees being provided by optical fibers, via respective optical couplers and outputting the split optical signals to output sides of the plurality of degrees via respective WSSs 23a to 23d. As the optical couplers, variable couplers 27a to 27d whose respective splitting ratios, each of which is a ratio of optical signal power losses in splitting an optical signal, are variable are used. The wavelength cross-connect device 20A includes a control unit 26 that performs control to change the splitting ratios in such a manner as to eliminate an imbalance among OSNR margins of the output sides of the degrees in which a plurality of optical paths transmitting the split optical signals extend. The control unit 26 calculates the margins for the respective optical paths transmitting the split optical signals via the variable couplers 27a to 27d, for each of the output sides of the degrees. The control unit 26 performs control to, based on respective smallest margins of the degrees in all the margins, change the splitting ratios of the variable couplers 27a to 27d in such a manner as to eliminate an imbalance between the margins of the degrees.

A wavelength cross-connect device performs a relay process in which multiple wavelength signal light beams that have been transmitted in multiple bands from a plurality of paths and demultiplexed into optical signals in the respective wavelength bands for each path are amplified, are switched to paths by contention WSSs, and are output to paths on the output side. A WXC unit performs the relay process on an optical signal in a specific wavelength band An input-side conversion unit that converts a wavelength band other than the specific wavelength band into the specific wavelength band is provided on the input side, and an output-side conversion unit that converts the specific wavelength band after the conversion into the wavelength band prior to the conversion is provided on the output side. A directly-input optical signal in the specific wavelength band is directly output after the relay process at the WXC unit.

A wavelength cross-connect device is formed by connecting a plurality of wavelength cross-connect devices in a ring-like form with WDM networks for each band of a plurality of bands on the input/output sides of the wavelength cross-connect devices, and includes a link wavelength allocation control unit. The link wavelength allocation control unit performs control to set different optical paths through which optical signals of the same wavelength are transmitted in the same zone between wavelength cross-connect devices, in the WDM networks of different bands in the same zone.

An optical communications apparatus, including a reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer, in which an optical deflection component may perform angle deflection on a plurality of first sub-wavelength light beams to obtain a plurality of second sub-wavelength light beams and a plurality of third sub-wavelength light beams, and propagate the plurality of second sub-wavelength light beams to a second optical switch array. A third wavelength dispersion component combines the plurality of second sub-wavelength light beams into a second light beam. A first output component outputs the second light beam from a dimension. A second wavelength dispersion component combines the plurality of third sub-wavelength light beams into a third light beam, and makes the third light beam incident to a third optical switch array. A second output component outputs the third light beam to drop a signal.

An optical network and a method of use are herein disclosed. The method comprises: receiving, by a DEMUX module of a local ROADM, a request from an upstream ROADM, the upstream ROADM being upstream from the local ROADM on a fiber optic line, the local ROADM comprising the DEMUX module and first and second MUX modules, the request including first instructions to perform an operation on the local ROADM; sending, by the DEMUX module, a distributed request to the first and second MUX modules, the distributed request including second instructions to perform the operation on the first and second MUX modules; attempting, by the first and second MUX modules, to perform the operation; and sending a consolidated response to the upstream ROADM indicative of one of a success and a failure of performing the operation on the first and second MUX modules.

Methods and apparatus are provided for switching an optical signal. In one aspect, an optical switching apparatus comprises a first beam splitting apparatus configured to split a first optical input signal into first and second optical signals, wherein the first optical signal has substantially the same polarization state as the second optical signal. The apparatus also comprises a switching matrix comprising a plurality of first outputs of the switching matrix and a plurality of second outputs of the switching matrix, each first output of the switching matrix associated with a respective one of the second outputs of the switching matrix, the switching matrix configured to selectively direct the first optical signal to a selected one of the first outputs of the switching matrix and to selectively direct the second optical signal to the second output of the switching matrix associated with the selected first output of the switching matrix. The apparatus further comprises a plurality of beam combining apparatus, each beam combining apparatus configured to combine optical signals from a respective one of the first outputs of the switching matrix and its associated second output of the switching matrix.

Integrated circuit chips may be optically interconnected using microLEDs. Some interconnections may be vertically-launched parallel optical links. Some interconnections may be planar-launched parallel optical links.

In an example method, network traffic transmitted between a plurality of network nodes via a communications network is monitored. Subsets of the network traffic are ranked according to one or more ranking criteria. A mesh network is deployed between the plurality of network nodes based on the ranking of the subsets of the network traffic. The mesh network includes a plurality of network links, where each network link communicatively couples a respective network node from among the plurality of network nodes to another respective network node from among the plurality of network nodes.

An example system includes a network switch and a plurality of server computers communicatively coupled to the first network switch. The network switch includes a first transceiver configured to transmit data according to a first maximum throughput, and each server computer includes a respective second transceiver configured to transmit data according to a second maximum throughput that is less than the first maximum throughput. The network switch is configured to transmit, using the first transceiver according to the first maximum throughput, first data including a plurality of optical subcarriers to each of the server computers. Each of the server computers is configured to receive, using a respective one of the second transceivers, the first data from the network switch, and extract, from the first data, a respective portion of the first data addressed to the server computer.