Patent ID: 8208811

Claim:
A system comprising: a master node to transmit first data via phase modulated optical signals at a plurality of wavelengths; and a plurality of client nodes, where a first client node, of the plurality of client nodes, is to: receive one phase modulated optical signal of the transmitted phase modulated optical signals at one wavelength of the plurality of wavelengths, where the first client node, of the plurality of client nodes, is selected by the master node to receive, based on an amount of traffic received at the master node, the first data by the one phase modulated optical signal having the one wavelength from the first client node, recover the first data from the one phase modulated optical signal, and transmit second data to the master node at the one wavelength by amplitude modulating a portion of the one phase modulated optical signal; and where a second client node, of the plurality of client nodes, which is not selected by the master node to receive, based on an amount of traffic received at the master node, from the second client node, the first data by the one phase modulated optical signal having the one wavelength is automatically assigned to another master node.