Patent ID: 7725035

Claim:
A method for managing network traffic, comprising: provisioning an internet protocol (IP) network for communicating traffic, the IP network operated by an IP service provider and comprising a plurality of nodes coupled by IP links activated in an IP layer and available for the routing of label switched paths (LSPs); monitoring the IP network for a congestion event; upon detecting a congestion event, selecting a LSP of the IP network for reroute; receiving a transformed topology constructed by an optical transport service provider of a wavelength division multiplex (WDM) topology, the transformed topology comprising a subset of lightpaths of the WDM topology that are available for, but not currently activated in, the IP layer; computing, based on the transformed topology, a hybrid path route for the selected LSP between a first node and a second node of the plurality of nodes, the hybrid path route comprising at least one IP link already activated in the IP layer and at least one lightpath of the WDM topology coupled to the IP network but not activated in the IP layer; determining whether performance of the hybrid path route for the selected LSP reduces costs; and if the hybrid path route reduces costs: activating a new IP link on each of the at least one lightpaths of the WDM topology, the new IP link being added to the IP links available for the routing of LSPs; and rerouting the selected LSP according to the hybrid path route.