Systems and methods for improving optical restoration time in a network include maintaining a status of wavelength load for a plurality of optical links in the network; utilizing the wavelength load to estimate a restoration time for one or more wavelengths being added to each of the plurality of optical links; and determining one or more restoration paths for the one or more wavelengths in the network and considering a total service restoration time in selecting a path for each of the one or more wavelengths, wherein each of the one or more restoration paths comprises one or more of the plurality of optical links.

An optical transceiver for use in network device in a packet network is provided. The network device may not be capable of providing a ring topology without use of the apparatus. The network device is configured to support at least two optical interfaces and an electrical interface, and coupled to an optical link. The optical transceiver includes a memory, a processor coupled to the memory, and a scheduler coupled to the processor. The scheduler of the optical transceiver is configured to perform as an information base for forwarding and transferring of packets and to use an optical link as a packet buffer.

Systems and methods for routing wavelengths in an optical network include responsive to a path request for a wavelength or group of wavelengths, determining a path through the optical network; determining a location on the path where wavelength blocking should occur to form a loop-free path in the optical network; and setting the wavelength blocking at the location. The optical network can utilize a broadcast and select architecture and the wavelength blocking is configured to prevent the wavelength or group of wavelengths from looping back on a port where the wavelength or group of wavelengths has already been received on. The optical network can utilize an all-broadcast architecture and the wavelength blocking is configured to prevent multiple paths for the wavelength or group of wavelengths by constraining the wavelength or group of wavelengths to a single path through the optical network.

Validating a path in an optical layer of a communications network, for client traffic having an associated service level, involves setting an optical quality margin according to the service level associated with that client traffic. The optical quality margin indicates how close an estimated optical quality of the path can approach a level which produces a threshold error rate. This margin is used to check whether the estimated optical quality is within the optical quality margin set according to the client traffic service level. Making the optical quality margin dependent on client traffic service level, can enable increased optical reach. This can give more flexibility in path selection and enable better matching to service levels of client traffic.

A technique is provided for provisioning optical connections in an optical network. The technique includes providing a plurality of connection demands, selecting working paths and provisioning working optical connections to satisfy all priority demands, selecting protection paths disjoint from the working paths and provisioning protection optical connections to satisfy all priority demands, computing a first virtual transparent topology consisting of a first remaining available capacity of the provisioned optical connections, selecting working paths within the virtual transparent topology and provisioning transparent tunnels satisfying all non-priority demands, selecting working paths and provisioning additional working optical connections to satisfy any remaining non-priority demands, computing a second virtual topology consisting of a second remaining available capacity, and selecting protection paths within the second transparent virtual topology and provisioning transparent tunnels to protect a non-priority demand using the second remaining capacity.

A router configured to communicate data with a destination router over an IP path that includes an IP link that uses a first optical path. The router configured to proactively maintain the performance of the communication of data. The router configured to receive a signal to move the communication off of the first optical path, before performance of the first optical path has failed. The router configured to establish a second optical path to the destination router an associate the IP link with the second optical path and move the communication of data with the destination router to the second optical path. The router may optionally be configured to tear down the first optical path. The trigger received by the router may be an indication of a performance degradation of the first optical path or an indication of a router interface used by the IP link being switched into maintenance mode.

Systems and methods for improving optical restoration time in a network include maintaining a status of wavelength load for a plurality of optical links in the network; utilizing the wavelength load to estimate a restoration time for one or more wavelengths being added to each of the plurality of optical links; and determining one or more restoration paths for the one or more wavelengths in the network and considering a total service restoration time in selecting a path for each of the one or more wavelengths, wherein each of the one or more restoration paths comprises one or more of the plurality of optical links.

A network module for sending and/or receiving of data packages from a network arrangement located in a network with ring structure, wherein the data package includes at least one data package segment, a source address, a destination address and an identification number. The network module includes a first network interface and a second network interface, for receiving and/or sending of data packages via the ring structure, a processor configured to determine, based on the destination address, if data packages received are directed to the network module and to determine if the source address and/or the destination address are contained in a predefined list of the network participants, to determine, based on the source address and the identification number, if a copy of a data package directed to the network module is already created in a memory, to create a copy of the data package in the memory.

Systems and methods for routing wavelengths in an optical network include responsive to a path request for a wavelength or group of wavelengths, determining a path through the optical network; determining a location on the path where wavelength blocking should occur to form a loop-free path in the optical network; and setting the wavelength blocking at the location. The optical network can utilize a broadcast and select architecture and the wavelength blocking is configured to prevent the wavelength or group of wavelengths from looping back on a port where the wavelength or group of wavelengths has already been received on. The optical network can utilize an all-broadcast architecture and the wavelength blocking is configured to prevent multiple paths for the wavelength or group of wavelengths by constraining the wavelength or group of wavelengths to a single path through the optical network.

The present disclosure provides dynamic performance monitoring systems and methods for optical networks to ascertain optical network health in a flexible and accurate manner. The present invention introduces accurate estimations for optical channel performance characteristics based either on existing channels or with a dynamic optical probe configured to measure characteristics on unequipped wavelengths. Advantageously, the dynamic performance monitoring systems and methods introduce the ability to determine physical layer viability in addition to logical layer viability.