Patent ID: 8433190

Claim:
An amplifier node in an optical network, the amplifier node comprising: a first switch, connected to a working path, from which network traffic is received; a second switch, connected to the working path, to which the network traffic is transmitted as outgoing network traffic; two or more amplifiers that connect the first switch to the second switch, the network traffic traveling from the first switch to the second switch via a first amplifier of the two or more amplifiers; and a controller to: receive, from a server device associated with the optical network, a first instruction to switch the network traffic from the first amplifier to a second amplifier, of the two or more amplifiers, that enables the first amplifier to be repaired or removed in a manner that does not cause a fault in the working path, send a second instruction to the second amplifier to power up, send, based on the first instruction and to the first switch and the second switch, a third instruction to switch the network traffic from the first amplifier to the second amplifier after the second amplifier is powered up, receive, from the first switch or the second switch, an indication that the network traffic is traveling via the second amplifier, and send, to the server device, a notification that the first amplifier can be repaired or removed based on the indication that the network traffic is traveling via the second amplifier.