Patent ID: 8184971

Claim:
In a DWDM network having a plurality of nodes and an electronic control plane, a method of operating an optical control plane distinct from said electronic control plane, the method comprising: receiving a probe on a node, the probe being arranged to determine an optical feasibility of a first path between a source and a destination, the node being included in the first path; determining a probability of success associated with the probe, the probability of success being arranged to indicate a likelihood that the probe will be successfully routed on the first path to the destination, the probability of success further being associated with a particular wavelength; dynamically identifying a second path on which to route the probe to the destination if the probability of success indicates a low likelihood that the probe will be successfully routed on the first path to the destination; determining if a reservation notification or an error notification associated with the probe has been received; obtaining information from the reservation notification when it is determined that the reservation notification has been received, wherein the information includes a first indication of a number of hops to the destination and a second indication of a remaining amount of optical budget for the probe; and altering the probability of success based on the reservation notification or the error notification if the reservation notification or the error notification has been received, wherein altering the probability of success based on the reservation notification when it is determined that the reservation notification has been received includes altering the probability of success based on a difference between an amount of overall optical budget and the remaining amount of the optical budget for the probe.