Patent ID: 8126330

Claim:
A system for creating a wave division multiplexing virtual private network by dynamically adding/dropping wavelengths in a reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer transport network having a plurality of optical transponders comprising: a plurality of optical fan-out devices, each arranged to receive an input signal from a network degree and coupled to a plurality of optical fan-in devices, each optical fan-in device arranged to output a signal to a network degree, the optical fan-out devices comprising a wavelength selective switch and the optical fan-in devices comprising a wavelength selective switch, the optical fan-out devices and optical fan-in devices being connected so as to enable signals input from each of a plurality of network degrees to be switched to another network degree of the plurality of network degrees; a plurality of demultiplexers for locally dropping selected wavelengths; a plurality of multiplexers for locally adding selected wavelengths; and a customer-dedicated fiber switch interposed between the plurality of optical transponders and the plurality of demultiplexers and the plurality of multiplexers, the customer-dedicated fiber switch being coupled to wavelengths and degrees to reserve wavelengths for the customer, wherein the customer-dedicated fiber switch comprises first and second fiber switches interposed between a plurality of optical transponders and the plurality of multiplexers and the plurality of demultiplexers to provide a plurality of redundant paths through the reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer; a pair of the plurality of optical transponders respectively coupled to the first fiber switch and the second fiber switch; and a Y-splitter coupled to the pair of optical transponders.