Patent ID: 8483564

Claim:
A method of allocating system bandwidth comprising a pre-defined number of physical channels in a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical system including a plurality of terminals comprising first and second trunk terminals and at least one branch terminal, said method comprising: identifying a connectivity pattern for said system comprising a number of logical terminal-to-terminal connections for said plurality of terminals that is greater than the pre-defined number of physical channels; allocating a first portion of the pre-defined number of physical channels as dedicated channels, each of said dedicated channels for providing dedicated ones of said logical terminal-to-terminal connections between an associated two of said plurality of terminals, and not for providing communication with any of said plurality of terminals other than said associated two of said plurality of terminals; allocating a second portion of the pre-defined number of physical channels as re-used channels by providing said re-used channels in a plurality of separate re-used channel bands, each of said re-used channel bands comprising only associated ones of said re-used channels, and each of said separate re-used channel bands being allocated for providing ones of said logical terminal-to-terminal connections between associated first and second ones of said plurality of terminals and for being re-used for providing ones of said logical terminal-to-terminal connections between associated third and fourth ones of said plurality of terminals, at least one of said associated third and fourth ones of said plurality of terminals being a different terminal than said associated first and second ones of said plurality of terminals; and allocating a third portion of the pre-defined number of physical channels in separate guard bands disposed between said re-used channel bands; said re-used channel bands and said dedicated channels being arranged in the system bandwidth to provide a minimized a number of said re-used channel bands while establishing said logical terminal-to-terminal connections.