Patent ID: 8467676

Claim:
A multi-wavelength optical transmission system comprising: a plurality of primary optical transmitters, each being configured to provide directly modulated analog optical signals at non-uniformly spaced apart wavelengths; an optical multiplexer having a plurality of optical input ports that receive the analog optical signals from each of the plurality of primary optical transmitters and to provide a wavelength division multiplexed signal over an optical fiber coupled at an output thereof; and a spare optical transmitter that is coupled to an input port of the optical multiplexer and, in response to detecting failure of a failed one of the plurality of primary optical transmitters, is tuned to provide a directly modulated analog optical signal at a spare wavelength that is selected as to be non-uniformly spaced relative to at least some of the non-uniformly spaced apart wavelengths according to tuning data, wherein the spare optical transmitter is configured to tune to the spare wavelength corresponding to one of a plurality of predetermined different wavelengths that varies depending on which of the plurality of optical transmitters is determined to have failed, wherein the plurality of predetermined different wavelengths are different from the non-uniformly spaced apart wavelengths of the plurality of primary optical transmitters.