Patent ID: 8355333

Claim:
A network method utilizing Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) to establish a network path between network elements in a network, the network method comprising: generating a request for a network service at layer 1, layer 2, layer 3, and combinations thereof in Session Initiation Protocol, wherein the request is one of manually and automatically configured, and wherein the request is directed to the network through a SIP message with an associated payload and authentication, the SIP message directed to a SIP Client or SIP Proxy associated with the network and equipped on an optical network element, wherein the network comprises connected network elements; obtaining network resources responsive to the SIP message, wherein the network resources comprise network parameters required to obtain and provision a network path at layer 1, layer 2, layer 3, and combinations thereof; and configuring the network resources responsive to the SIP message, wherein configuring the network resources comprises modifying a setting of at least one optical network element of the network, the setting associated with layer 1 operation comprising a combination of wavelength division multiplexing and time division multiplexing operation, layer 2 operation, and combinations thereof of the optical network element, wherein the configuring the network resources through the SIP message comprises any of setting up a new wavelength and allocating new synchronous optical network bandwidth via synchronous transport signal-1 (STS-1s), and wherein the network resources are configured by the SIP message at each of layer 1, layer 2, layer 3, and combinations thereof through the network elements without requiring provisioning at each of layer 1, layer 2, layer 3, and combinations thereof for each network element; wherein the plurality of network elements comprise a plurality of optical network elements, and wherein the network path comprises wavelengths between first and second optical network elements in the network, and wherein the network parameters comprise one or more of available wavelengths, available bandwidth, available regeneration points, available circuits, intermediate network elements, and a combination thereof, and wherein the wavelengths are switched responsive to the request.