Patent ID: 8655172

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving, by a network device, a propagating optical signal that has propagated through a plurality of optical network components of an optical network; extracting by the network device, characteristic information from the propagating optical signal; identifying, by the network device, the extracted characteristic information associated with the propagating optical signal, the characteristic information being introduced by at least two optical network components of the plurality of optical network components encountered by the propagating optical signal, and the characteristic information including: a first wave superimposed on the propagating optical signal by a first component of the at least two optical network components, and a second wave superimposed on the propagating optical signal by a second component of the at least two optical network components; correlating, by the network device, the characteristic information with the at least two optical network components encountered by the propagating optical signal, the correlating including: determining that a network path through which the propagating optical signal has propagated includes the at least two optical network components, and determining, based on the first wave and the second wave of the characteristic information, an order in which the propagating optical signal encountered at least the at least two optical network components; determining, by the network device and based on the characteristic information, an intensity of the propagating optical signal; and outputting, based on the intensity and from the network device, an optical signal that is based on the propagating optical signal, an amplification of the outputted optical signal being based on the intensity of the propagating optical signal.