Patent ID: 6631134
Filing Date: 2003-10-07
Classification: H04J,H04L,H04Q

Abstract:
A method of allocating bandwidth in an optical network comprising:determining a bandwidth requirement of a requested virtual wavelength path between a first node and a second node of a plurality of nodes, each one of said plurality of nodes being coupled to at least one other of said plurality of nodes by at least one of a plurality of optical links, said plurality of nodes and said plurality of optical links forming the optical network; determining whether a physical path between said first and said second nodes has available bandwidth that is at least equal to said bandwidth requirement; allocating said physical path, if said bandwidth requirement is not greater than said available bandwidths; determining a metric requirement, said metric requirement being required for allocation of said requested virtual path; determining whether said physical path meets said metric requirement; and preventing said allocation if said first physical path fails to meet said metric requirement, wherein said physical path is configured as a circuit, said circuit comprising said first node, certain ones of said plurality of nodes, certain ones of said plurality of optical links, and said second node, wherein said first node is coupled by one of said certain ones of said plurality of optical links to a node of a first one of a plurality of node/link combinations, each one of said plurality of node/link combinations comprises one of said certain ones of said plurality of nodes coupled to one of said certain ones of said plurality of optical links, and a link of each one of said plurality of node/link combinations is coupled to a node of a next one of said plurality of node/link combinations, except for a link of a last one of said plurality of node/link combinations, said link of said last one of said plurality of node/link combinations being coupled to said second node.