Patent ID: 7783193

Claim:
A method for identifying an optical signal in an optical network, comprising: detecting noise tone frequencies within a range of frequencies downstream from an encoding location along a path of the optical signal in the optical network; detecting pilot tones modulated onto the optical signal downstream from the encoding location along the path of the optical signal in the optical network; combining the detected noise tone frequencies and the detected pilot tones into a list of frequencies in said range of frequencies; at the encoding location, selecting at least one tone frequency exclusive of the detected noise tone frequencies and pilot tones from the list of frequencies; modulating an optical signal at the encoding location with said at least one tone frequency for identifying the optical signal in the optical network; comparing the noise tone frequencies and the pilot tones detected along the path; correlating results of the comparisons with decoding locations along the path where the noise tone frequencies and the pilot tones have been detected; and detecting faulty decoding locations based on the correlating results.