Patent ID: 7149425

Claim:
An apparatus for monitoring an optical system configured to route optical signals generated by one or more lasers, the apparatus comprising: (a) a first optical switch fabric (OSF) having input ports and output ports and configured to route optical signals from its input ports to its output ports; and (b) a first photo-sensing device configured to monitor optical signals output from the first OSF, wherein: for each wavelength generated by the one or more lasers, the first OSF is adapted to route a portion of the respective optical signal; the first OSF is configured to enable determination of wavelengths of the optical signals generated by the one or more lasers based on signals generated by the first photo-sensing device; and the optical system comprises a second OSF having input ports and output ports and configured to route the optical signals generated by the one or more lasers from its input ports to its output ports based on wavelength, wherein the one or more lasers are configured to transmit at one or more wavelengths corresponding to one or more optical channels of the second OSF based on said determination.