It is difficult to improve the usage efficiency of an optical communication network due to the passband narrowing effect in a wavelength selection process in an optical communication network using a wavelength division multiplexing system; therefore, an optical network management apparatus according to an exemplary aspect of the present invention includes wavelength selection information generating means for generating wavelength selection information on a wavelength selection process through which an optical path accommodating an information signal goes, with respect to each optical path; and wavelength selection information notifying means for notifying an optical node device through which the optical path goes of the wavelength selection information.

Systems and methods include determining a current state of a network; determining a new state for the network having an improved cost relative to the current state; determining a defragmentation plan to move the network from the current state to the new state, the defragmentation plan including a sequence of steps; and, responsive to an event that presents an opportunity, implementing one or more steps of the sequence of steps. The implementing is conditioned on occurrence of the opportunity.

A method (200) of controlling compensation of chromatic dispersion in an optical transport network. The method comprises determining (202) whether a residual dispersion, RD, of a first path (3) within the network is within a defined RD range and if the RD of the first path is outside the defined RD range the method comprises identifying (204) a first tuneable dispersion compensation module, TDCM, crossed by the first path (3), configured to apply a respective value of dispersion compensation. The method also comprises determining (206) a different value of dispersion compensation to be applied by the first TDCM to bring the RD of the first path within the defined RD range; if (208) the first TDCM is crossed by at least one other path (1, 2), checking (210) that the respective RD of said at least one other path is within a respective defined RD range for said different value of dispersion compensation; and generating (212) a control signal comprising instructions configured to set the first TDCM to apply said different value of dispersion compensation.

Systems and methods for coordinating an optical layer and a packet layer in a network, include a Software Defined Networking (SDN) Internet Protocol (IP) application configured to implement a closed loop for analytics, recommendations, provisioning, and monitoring, of a plurality of routers in the packet layer; and a variable capacity application configured to determine optical path viability, compute excess optical margin, and recommend and cause capacity upgrades and downgrades, by communicating with a plurality of network elements in the optical layer, wherein the SDN IP application and the variable capacity application coordinate activity therebetween based on conditions in the network. The activity is coordinated based on underlying capacity changes in the optical layer and workload changes in the packet layer.

Implementations described and claimed herein provide systems and methods for a configurable optical peering fabric to dynamically create a connection between participant sites without any physical site limitations or necessity of specialized client and network provider equipment being located within such a facility. Client sites to a network may connect to a configurable switching element to be interconnected to other client sites in response to a request to connect the first client site with a second site, also connected to network, via the switching element. A request may trigger verification of the requested and, upon validation, transmission of an instruction to the switching element to enable the cross connect within the switching element. The first site and the second site may thus be interconnected via the switching element in response to the request, without the need to co-locate equipment or to manually install a jumper between client equipment.

Method and communication network for establishing a connection in a communications network are disclosed. The method comprises receiving, by a processor, a connection request for establishing the connection; selecting, by the processor, an input node from a plurality of input nodes in the communications network and an output node from a plurality of output nodes in the communications network; selecting, by the processor, an interconnect node from a plurality of interconnect nodes in the communications network in accordance with an order set out in a pre-determined order list that sets out a specific connection order for each of the plurality of interconnect nodes; determining whether the interconnect node has capacity to connect the input node to the output node; and in response to the interconnect node having the capacity, connecting, by the processor, the input node to the output node via the interconnect node.

The present invention provides a novel computer-implemented routing method for a dynamic wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) optical network having wavelength continuity constraints. The method is more efficient than the existing methods, in terms of number of wavelengths, and due to the fixed routing strategy used, its implementation is simple, and its online operation is very fast.

The present disclosure relates to a fiber network operation apparatus for providing a method of determining a physical path in consideration of network performance and resource efficiency in a space division multiplexing-based fiber network and allocating optical resources according thereto, and an operation method thereof.

The present invention provides a novel computer-implemented routing method for a dynamic wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) optical network having wavelength continuity constraints. The method is more efficient than the existing methods, in terms of number of wavelengths, and due to the fixed routing strategy used, its implementation is simple, and its online operation is very fast.

An optical access network includes an optical hub having at least one processor. The network further includes a plurality of optical distribution centers connected to the optical hub by a plurality of optical fiber segments, respectively, and a plurality of geographic fiber node serving areas. Each fiber node serving area of the plurality of fiber node serving areas includes at least one optical distribution center of the plurality of optical distribution centers. The network further includes a plurality of endpoints. Each endpoint of the plurality of endpoints is in operable communication with at least one optical distribution center. The network further includes a point-to-point network provisioning system configured to (i) evaluate each potential communication path over the plurality of optical fiber segments between a first endpoint and a second endpoint, and (ii) select an optimum fiber path based on predetermined path selection criteria.