Patent ID: 7340174

Claim:
A method of implementing programmable optical add/drop multiplexing, the method comprising; de-multiplexing, for each one of N optical systems, a respective input WDM (wavelength division multiplexed) optical signal into a plurality of optical path signals each comprising at least one channel; performing at least one of chromatic dispersion compensation, slope of dispersion compensation and amplitude compensation on each of the optical paths signals, said compensation being independently determined for each of the optical path signals: performing an add/drop function of selected ones of the compensated optical path signals and establishing through paths of remaining ones of the compensated optical path signals; and multiplexing, for each one of the N optical systems, a plurality of optical path signals into an output WDM optical signal; such that each of the optical path signals for each of the N optical signals can be independently compensated to reach a respective target value, and each said respective target value is independent of whether the optical path signal is selected for performance of an add/drop function or for establishment of a through path.