Patent ID: 7113704

Claim:
An add/drop apparatus, comprising: a channel selector configured to receive a plurality of channels that include a first channel and a second channel, the channel selector being configured to direct the first channel to an add/drop node and the second channel to an output node when in a first channel mode and being further configured to direct the second channel to the add/drop node and the first channel to the output node when in a second channel mode, the channel selector being configured such that when the channel selector is in the first channel mode, a first alternate optical channel traveling from the add/drop node to the channel selector travels from the channel selector to the output node with a different bandwidth than the first channel directed to the add/drop node by the channel selector; and a switch configured to receive a plurality of optical channels and to direct the optical channels such that the optical channels are received by the channel selector or such that the optical channels bypass the channel selector and are received at the output node, an optical path along which the channels travels from the switch to the channel selector being exclusive of an optical path from the channel selector to the add/drop node and also exclusive of an optical path from the channel selector to the output node.