Patent ID: 7986881

Claim:
A method for transmitting optical signal traffic through an optical communications system including transmitters and receivers, including: transmitting traffic from the transmitters into a plurality of optical paths connecting the transmitters and receivers; passing a first portion of the traffic into a first node connecting at least two of the optical paths; wherein passing the first portion of the traffic through the first node comprises: passing the first portion of the traffic through a first optical switch in the first node; exiting the first portion of the traffic from the first node without undergoing an optical-electrical-optical conversion in the first node when the first portion of the traffic passing through the first node is not being dropped at the first node; and bypassing a first DWDM terminal in the first node; adding local traffic at the first node through a first cross-connect and the first DWDM terminal in the first node; dropping local traffic at the first node through a first cross-connect and the first DWDM terminal in the first node; passing a second portion of the traffic into a second node connecting at least two of the optical paths, wherein none of the second portion of the traffic entering the second node passes through a cross-connect in the second node; wherein passing the second portion of the traffic into the second node comprises: passing the second portion of the traffic through a second optical switch connected to the at least two optical paths connected to the second node; and passing the second portion of the traffic through a second DWDM terminal connected to the second optical switch; and receiving at least the first portion and the second portion of the traffic after the first portion and the second portion of the traffic passes through the first and second nodes.