Patent ID: 7813640

Claim:
An optical connection switching apparatus to which a plurality of equipment each having an optical communication interface are connected and which is made to establish an optical connection between different equipment of said plurality of equipment, said optical connection switching apparatus comprising: an optical connection switching facility which has a plurality of an optical input/output ports each of which includes a pair of an optical input port and an optical output port and making a connection between any one of said optical input ports and any one of said optical output ports; one or more optical transmitting/receiving units connected to a portion of said optical input/output ports; and a management control unit which manages a connection between a respective optical input/output port of said plurality of optical input/output ports connected to a respective optical transmitting/receiving unit of said one or more optical transmitting/receiving units and a different respective optical input/output port of said plurality of optical input/output ports connected to a respective equipment of said plurality of equipment according to information on said respective equipment, the information being acquired by making a communication with said respective equipment through the use of said respective optical transmitting/receiving unit; and wherein the plurality of optical transmitting/receiving units is connected to said optical input/output ports so as to correspond to a plurality of types of optical communication interfaces to be provided in said equipment, and said management control unit includes an interface scanning unit which controls said optical connection switching facility to make connections between said optical input/output ports connected to said plurality of optical transmitting/receiving units and the optical input/output port connected to said equipment in a circulating fashion for acquiring the information on said equipment through the use of said optical transmitting/receiving units.