Patent ID: 7660526

Claim:
A system comprising: a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) add/drop multiplexer having an input terminal configured to receive WDM signals from an optical fiber, an output terminal configured to transmit WDM signals to said optical fiber, at least one drop terminal for selected drop channels of WDM signals from said optical fiber, at least one add terminal for selected add channels of WDM signals channels to said optical fiber, and at least one opto-electric device in a path of at least one through channel of WDM signals from said input terminal to said output terminal such that a loss of power to said opto-electric device adversely affects said at least one through channel of WDM signals; and an optical switch unit configured to be connected to said optical fiber in parallel with said add/drop multiplexer, said optical switch unit being configured to bypass said input and output terminals of said add/drop multiplexer when power to said at least one opto-electric device is lost and to reconnect said input and output terminals of said WDM add/drop multiplexer to said optical fiber a period of time after return of power to said at least one opto-electric device by which time said WDM add/drop multiplexer is fully operational; and wherein said WDM add/drop multiplexer is configured to perform a rebooting procedure after a power loss and to output a control signal to said optical switch unit after said rebooting procedure is complete corresponding to said period of time after return of power, and wherein the optical switch unit is configured to be responsive to said control signal to reconnect said input and output terminals of said WDM add/drop multiplexer to said optical fiber.