Patent ID: 6421349
Filing Date: 2002-07-16
Classification: H04J,H04L,H04Q

Abstract:
A method of operating a telecommunications network in which the telecommunications network includes plural distinct nodes interconnected by plural distinct spans, each node having a digital cross-connect switch for making and breaking connections between links in adjacent spans forming span paths through the node, the method comprising the steps of:a) providing a set of successive nodes capable of forming a closed path in the network, with at least one spare link between each pair of adjacent nodes in the closed path; b) forming a cross-connection at each node in the closed path to connect spare links in each of the adjacent spans lying in the closed path and thus form a span path through each node in the closed path before occurrence of a span failure on a target span in the network lying on a path between two nodes, where the two nodes are in the closed path but the target span lies outside the closed path; and c) upon occurrence of a span failure on the target span, routing telecommunications traffic along the closed path.