Patent ID: 7272309

Claim:
A system of routing data comprising: a plurality of ingress edge units, wherein each ingress edge unit comprises: an ingress edge adaptation and grooming component configured to receive a plurality of input data streams and to switch the data received from the input data streams to a plurality of container processors; ingress edge container processors coupled to receive data from the ingress edge adaptation and grooming component, configured to format the data into containers comprising a framing such that the data contained in any one container has a common destination, and operable to transmit optical data in containers, wherein each working edge container processor transmits optical data on a particular set of wavelengths; an ingress edge container aggregation component in optical communication with the plurality of working edge container processors, wherein the edge container aggregation component is operable to multiplex signals from the plurality of working edge container processors onto a single fiber; and an ingress edge amplification and protection component in optical communication with edge container aggregation component, wherein the edge amplification and protection component is operable to amplify a multiplexed signal received from the edge container aggregation component; a photonic core comprising: a plurality of inputs connected to the plurality of ingress edge units; a plurality of outputs; a plurality of path switches operable to selectively connect the plurality of inputs to the plurality of outputs in a non-blocking manner; a plurality of egress edge units connected to the plurality of outputs of the photonic core, each egress edge unit comprising; an egress edge amplification and protection component to receive and amplify a signal from the photonic core; an egress edge container aggregation component in communication with the egress edge amplification and protection component operable to demultiplex a signal received from the egress edge amplification and protection component; and a plurality of egress working edge container processors in optical communication with the egress edge container aggregation component, each egress working edge container processor operable to receive containers from the egress edge container aggregation component on particular wavelengths.