Patent ID: 8433189

Claim:
A linear protection method for an optical network, used for protecting a failed service path in the optical network, the method comprising the following steps of: A. setting a priority of service carried on each service paths participating in linear protection of the optical network as a service priority for each service path; and B. selecting, from service paths participating in the linear protection, a service path of which the service priority is lower than that of the failed service path as a protection path, and bridge switching the service on the failed service path to the protection path; wherein the step B comprises: selecting, from the service paths participating in the linear protection, a service path, of which the service priority is lower than that of the failed service path and meanwhile is the lowest, as the protection path, bridge switching the service on the failed service path to the protection path, and modifying the service priority of the protection path to be the service priority of the failed service path; and the method further comprising: if there are a plurality of service paths of which the service priorities are lower than that of the failed service path and meanwhile are the lowest, then selecting therefrom a service path which is a non-protection path as the protection path of the failed service path.