Patent ID: 8494360

Claim:
A method, comprising: generating a signal at a test initiating device; identifying, by the test initiating device, an unused channel in an in-service optical path, wherein the optical path includes at least two spans; receiving, by the test initiating device, a user selection of a first bit rate from among a plurality of available bit rates; modulating, by the test initiating device, the signal at the first bit rate to generate a first test signal; transmitting, by the test initiating device, the first test signal on the unused channel; receiving the first test signal at a test destination device; compensating, by the test destination device, the first test signal for polarization mode dispersion (PMD) effects; determining, by the test destination device, a PMD measurement for the first test signal based on the compensation; transmitting, by the test destination device, the PMD measurement for the first test signal to the test initiating device; receiving, by the test initiating device, a user selection of a second bit rate from among the plurality of bit rates; modulating, by the test initiating device, the signal at the second bit rate to generate a second test signal; transmitting, by the test initiating device, the second test signal on the unused channel; receiving the second test signal at the test destination device; compensating, by the test destination device, the second test signal for PMD effects; determining, by the test destination device, a PMD measurement for the second test signal based on the compensation; and transmitting, by the test destination device, the PMD measurement for the second test final to the initiating device.