Shared optical protection in an optical communications network

摘要

In a shared optical protection scheme, a network node is arranged to provide optical protection signals to at least two protection paths to offer fault protection for a number of the channels of a wavelength division multiplexed working traffic signal supported by the node, the network node including an optical switch array which couples individual protection channels to one or other of the protection paths and which is selectively reconfigurable to reroute individual protection channels to an alternative one of the protection paths in the event of a transmission fault.