Patent ID: 7313328

Claim:
A node for use in a multi-layer photonic network of the type having a first layer consisting of optical wavelength paths capable of switching in units of optical wavelengths and having a second layer consisting of packet paths capable of switching in units of packets, said node comprising: a first optical switch associated with said first layer; a first packet switch associated with said second layer and coupled for interaction with said first optical switch; an establishment section which automatically establishes a communication path to an optical switch associated with another node based on path information extracted from an establishment request for a packet path communicated via said first packet switch, said path information including at least one of path cost, resource consumption and traffic quantity; and a section which, in regard to a request to make a new packet path, newly establishes or rearranges packet paths and optical wavelength paths according to a predetermined policy, wherein the policy includes a policy of, in regard to a request to make a new packet path: deciding whether or not it is possible to accommodate the packet path in an already established optical wavelength path of a single hop; if such accommodation is possible, thus accommodating the packet path; if it is not possible to accommodate the packet path in an already established optical wavelength path of a single hop, deciding whether or not it is possible to accommodate the packet path in an already established optical wavelength path whose hop number is within the predetermined hop number; if such accommodation is possible, thus accommodating the packet path; if it is not possible to accommodate the packet path in an already established optical wavelength path whose hop number is within a predetermined hop number, deciding whether or not it is possible to make a newly established optical wavelength path of a single hop; and, if it is possible to make the newly established optical wavelength path, accommodating the packet path in the newly established optical wavelength path.