Patent ID: 6304346
Filing Date: 2001-10-16
Classification: H04B,H04J,H04Q

Abstract:
A method for restoration from a fault in a communication network, said communication network being formed by interconnecting a plurality of nodes via a plurality of transmission lines using optical fibers, said plurality of nodes including at least one set of node equipment including a line terminal equipment and an optical cross-connect equipment, said method comprising the steps of:causing a line terminal equipment of said at least one set of node equipment to terminate Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) to detect a fault in an optical fiber under communication, and in response to the detected fault, give a command functioning as a trigger for optical fiber change-over to an optical cross-connect equipment included in the node equipment; andcausing said optical cross-connect equipment given said command functioning as the trigger to exchange change-over control information indicating optical switch setting situation between said optical cross-connect equipment given said command and optical cross-connect equipments included in other node equipments, and form a restoration route,wherein said command functioning as the trigger for optical fiber change-over comprises contents of protection switching bytes of an overhead signal of the SDH, andwherein said exchange of change-over control information is conducted by using an optical signal having a wavelength different from a normal wavelength used by said optical cross-connect equipments.