1. Field of Invention
The invention relates generally to optical communication networks and in particular to methods and systems for allocating bandwidth in an optical communication network.
2. Description of Related Art
Optical communication networks use optical to electrical to optical (OEO) conversion to regenerate signals on the network. Although such OEO regeneration maintains signal quality, there are significant costs associated with the process. These costs appear as equipment expense, increased power consumption, and increased space requirements.
In order to avoid unnecessary OEO regeneration points in Wavelength Division Multiplexed (WDM) networks, it is desirable to route wavelengths such that the number of OEO sites is substantially reduced. Regeneration of an individual wavelength is not required if the optical signal maintains sufficient quality to insure an error rate at the receiver below a specified threshold. Further, changing network traffic demands will require establishing new optical paths for wavelength signals. However, the anticipated signal quality at the ultimate receive node for the new path is not known in advance due to the analog nature of optical signal propagation. Thus, it is difficult to determine if such a desired path would be viable.