Patent ID: 7200104

Claim:
A method for restoring a virtual path in an optical network, the method comprising: identifying a first plurality of nodes with resources, wherein said optical network comprises a plurality of nodes, each one of said nodes is coupled to at least one another of said nodes in a mesh topology and said nodes with resources are ones of said nodes having a resource necessary to support said virtual path; provisioning a primary physical path for said virtual path, said primary physical path comprising ones of said first plurality of nodes with resources; identifying a second plurality of nodes with resources, wherein said nodes with resources are ones of said nodes having a resource necessary to support said virtual path; provisioning a secondary physical path for said virtual path, said secondary physical path comprising ones of said second plurality of nodes with resources; maintaining said primary physical path as a transmission path and said secondary physical path as a standby path; detecting a failure of said primary physical path after said provisioning said primary physical path and said provisioning said secondary physical path; and in response to said failure, restoring said virtual path using said secondary physical path.