Patent ID: 6859431

Claim:
A method for generating a protection route as an alternative route to a working route between optical network switches through links connecting the switches in a network, comprising the steps of: automatically selecting a protection route to pass messages from an origination switch to a destination switch through an intermediate switch where a minimal number of links included in physical bundles that correspond to the working route are included in the protection route; sending a set up message from the origination switch to the destination switch through the intermediate switch; determining whether bandwidth is available between the origination switch, the intermediate switch and the destination switch; summing bandwidth reserved for all working connections associated with a link resulting in a working sum; grouping protection connections that use the link into groups that protect the same bundles, including the selected protection connection; summing bandwidth required for each group of protection connections; taking a maximum of the summed protection connection bandwidths; and summing the maximum and the working sum resulting in a total unavailable bandwidth.