Patent ID: 7646978

Claim:
A method, comprising: supplying a first optical stream containing a first band of wavelengths to a first multiplexer/demultiplexer in a first direction; spectrum slicing the first optical stream containing the first band of wavelengths with the first multiplexer/demultiplexer to provide first spectral slices of the first optical stream within the first band of wavelengths; supplying the first spectral slices within the first band of wavelengths in the first direction to a first group of optical transmitters in order to align first operating wavelengths of the optical transmitters in the first group within the first spectral slices received from the first multiplexer/demultiplexer to provide a third optical stream containing first optical channels within the first band of wavelength that propagates in a second direction; multiplexing the first optical channels to provide multiplexed first optical channels to a second multiplexer/demultiplexer; supplying a second optical stream containing a second band of wavelengths to the second multiplexer/demultiplexer in the second direction; spectrum slicing the second optical stream containing the second band of wavelengths with the second multiplexer/demultiplexer to provide second spectral slices of the second optical stream within the second band of the wavelengths; and supplying the second spectral slices within the second band of wavelengths in the second direction to a second group of optical transmitters in order to align second operating wavelengths of the optical transmitters in the second group within the second spectral slices received from the second multiplexer/demultiplexer to provide a fourth optical stream containing second optical channels within the second band of wavelength that propagates in the first direction to multiplex by the second multiplexer/demultiplexer, combining a plurality of optical signals in the second band of wavelengths received at a first location after passing through the first multiplexer/demultiplexer; and adjusting the transmission band of wavelengths passed by the first multiplexer/demultiplexer based upon achieving substantially maximum power of the combined plurality of optical signals in the second band of wavelengths, wherein the first multiplexer/demultiplexer spectrum slices the first optical stream and multiplexes the first optical channels of the third optical stream while demultiplexing the second optical channels of the fourth optical stream.