Patent ID: 7509438

Claim:
A method for sending traffic on a path within an optical network system, the optical network system including a plurality of nodes and a plurality of fibers, the method comprising: identifying and establishing a circuit path within the optical network system which is associated with a first node of the plurality of nodes, the circuit path being arranged to include at least one fiber selected from the plurality of fibers; sending a signal on the circuit path from the first node on the at least one fiber, the signal being arranged to include embedded path trace information; determining when the signal is received from the first node by a second node of the plurality of nodes over the at least one fiber; identifying a protection path arranged to include at least a first fiber selected from the plurality of fibers and at least a third node selected from the plurality of nodes, the third node having no path trace information for the signal; broadcasting path trace information to the plurality of nodes when it is determined that the signal is not received by the second node over the at least one fiber and after the protection path identification step; sending the signal from the first node on the protection path; and monitoring the signal on the protection path by the path trace information embedded in the signal and the broadcasted path trace information received by the third node.