Patent ID: 7519294

Claim:
A method of providing integrated asymmetrical and symmetrical network capacity on a protected optical ring network, the protected optical ring network including a head-end node and a plurality of access nodes interconnected along optical fibers forming a ring network topology, the method comprising the steps of: provisioning the symmetric protected optical network capacity on the optical ring network topology by configuring the head-end node and each of the access nodes to transmit and receive data on the ring; and provisioning the asymmetric network capacity on the optical ring network topology by configuring the head-end node to transmit data on a first protected dedicated wavelength and configuring a first of the access nodes to receive data on the first protected dedicated wavelength, said protected dedicated wavelength originating at the head-end node and terminating at the first access node and not continuing around the ring, said protected dedicated wavelength having a working path that extends in a first direction around the optical ring from the head-end node to the first of the access nodes and ends at the first of the access nodes to not continue around the ring past the first of the access nodes, and a protection path that extends in an opposite direction around the optical ring from the head-end node to the first of the access nodes and ends at the first of the access nodes to not continue around the ring past the first of the access nodes; wherein the head-end node is configured to have a common platform on which the symmetric network capacity and the asymmetric network capacity is provisioned, said common platform enabling the head-end node to apply policy to the network traffic intended to be transmitted from the head-end node to the first access node such that the network traffic may be selectively transmitted by the head-end node to the first access node over the symmetric network capacity or over the asymmetric network capacity according to the policy.