Patent ID: 7660529

Claim:
A system for transmitting an optical signal, the system comprising: a first optical transmitter capable of transmitting a first optical signal under one or more first operating conditions, the first optical signal corresponding to a first wavelength; a second optical transmitter capable of transmitting a second optical signal under one or more second operating conditions, the second optical signal corresponding to a second wavelength; an optical multiplexer coupled to the first optical transmitter and the second optical transmitter and capable of generating a multiplexed optical signal; a detection component configured to determine at least whether the first optical transmitter satisfies one or more predetermined conditions; wherein the detection component is configured to provide one or more instructions to turn off a signal path corresponding to the first optical transmitter if the first optical transmitter is determined not to satisfy the one or more predetermined conditions; a tunable optical transmitter capable of transmitting a third optical signal, the third optical signal corresponding to a third wavelength; an optical coupling component capable of receiving at least the multiplexed optical signal and the third optical signal and generating an output optical signal for transmission; wherein if the first optical transmitter is determined not to satisfy the one or more predetermined conditions, the third wavelength is equal to the first wavelength.