Optical communication control device, optical communication control method and program

Abstract

One aspect of the present invention provides an optical communication control device that comprises: a plurality of wavelength selection switches each of which have a parent port and a plurality of child ports; a spatial switch in which the connection relationship between input ports and output ports is changeable, some of the input ports are connected to the parent ports of some of the plurality of wavelength selection switches, and some of the output ports are connected to the child ports of others of the plurality of wavelength selection switches; a plurality of line cascade fibers, respective one ends of which are connected to others of the input ports and the respective other ends of which are connected to the parent ports of the wavelength selection switches connected to the output ports; a plurality of client cascade fibers, respective one ends of which are connected to some others of the output ports and the respective other ends of which are connected to the child ports of the wavelength selection switches connected to the input ports; and a control unit which controls operation of the spatial switch.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an optical communication control device, an optical communication control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Optical communication technology is becoming increasingly important. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] Masahiko Jinno “Spatial Channel Network (SCN): Opportunities and Challenges of Introducing Spatial Bypass Toward the Massive SDM Era [Invited]”, J. Opt. Commun. Netw. 11, 1-14 (2019) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Optical communications include communications between regions, such as transmitting a signal from Tokyo to Aichi Prefecture, and communications within each region. In such optical communications networks, a spatial multiplexing network that switches spatial paths is used for inter-regional communications, while a frequency division multiplexing network that switches frequencies is used for intra-regional communications. Therefore, multiple wavelength selective switches are used to connect the inter-regional communications network, which is a network for inter-regional communications, and the intra-regional communications network, which is a network for intra-regional communications.

[0005] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a first example of the configuration of a device (hereinafter referred to as "spatial add-drop device") that connects an inter-area communication network and an intra-area communication network in the prior art. Fig. 5 is a diagram that explains the prior art by taking as an example the case of transmitting a signal from an intra-area communication network to an inter-area communication network. Furthermore, Fig. 5 is a diagram that explains by taking as an example the case where there are two types of destination areas in inter-area communication.

[0006] 5, the spatial add-drop device 900 includes wavelength selective switches 990-1 to 990-4. If the wavelength selective switches 990-1 to 990-4 are expressed as wavelength selective switches 990 without being distinguished from one another, then the spatial add-drop device 900 in the example of FIG.

[0007] In the example of Figure 5, the wavelength selective switch has a total of three ports. A port is a location where optical signals are input and output. Two of the three ports are child ports, and the remaining one is a parent port. A child port is a port where the parent port is the output destination for an incident signal. A parent port is a port where the two child ports are candidates for the output destination port for an incident signal.

[0008] 5, two types of signals with different wavelengths are input to the spatial add-drop device 900 from a local communication network 991. The signals with different wavelengths propagate through different optical fibers and reach the wavelength selective switch 990, which is either wavelength selective switch 990-1 or 990-2 and is pre-connected one-to-one to each optical fiber.

[0009] A signal of one wavelength input from the intra-regional communication network 991 is input to the wavelength selective switch 990-1. More specifically, the signal of one wavelength input from the intra-regional communication network 991 is input to the parent port of the wavelength selective switch 990-1.

[0010] The signal of the other wavelength input from the intra-regional communication network 991 is input to the wavelength selective switch 990-2. More specifically, the signal of the other wavelength input from the intra-regional communication network 991 is input to the parent port of the wavelength selective switch 990-2.

[0011] A signal input to the wavelength selective switch 990-1 is transmitted to either the wavelength selective switch 990-3 or 990-4 depending on the region of the transmission destination. In this case, the signal input to the wavelength selective switch 990-1 is output from the child port of the wavelength selective switch 990-1 and input to the child port of the wavelength selective switch 990 of the transmission destination.

[0012] The signal incident on the wavelength selective switch 990-2 is transmitted to either the wavelength selective switch 990-3 or 990-4 depending on the region of the transmission destination. In this case, the signal incident on the wavelength selective switch 990-2 is output from the child port of the wavelength selective switch 990-2 and incident on the child port of the wavelength selective switch 990 of the transmission destination.

[0013] The wavelength selective switch 990-3 or 990-4 to which the signal has been input outputs the input signal from its parent port. The connection destination of each parent port of the wavelength selective switches 990-3 and 990-4 is the inter-regional communication network 992.

[0014] In Figure 5, the spatial add-drop device has been explained using the example of signal transmission from intra-area communication to inter-area communication. When transmitting signals from inter-area communication to intra-area communication, the signal flows in the opposite direction. Note that the spatial add-drop device that transmits signals from intra-area communication to inter-area communication and the spatial add-drop device that transmits signals from inter-area communication to intra-area communication may be different devices.

[0015] In this way, wavelength selective switches are used in numbers corresponding to the combination of frequency and propagation destination. Therefore, if the number of propagation destinations and frequency types increases, more wavelength selective switches are required. In this case, simply adding wavelength selective switches is not enough. There may be cases where it is necessary to change the connections between frequency switches, including the wavelength selective switches that were in use before the addition. This is explained using Figure 6.

[0016] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a second example of the configuration of a spatial add-drop device in the prior art. Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating the prior art using an example in which three types of frequencies are used for communication and a signal is transmitted from an intra-area communication network 991 to an inter-area communication network 992. Fig. 6 also illustrates an example in which there are three types of destination areas in inter-area communication.

[0017] 6, the spatial add-drop device 900 includes wavelength selective switches 990-1 to 990-12. That is, the spatial add-drop device 900 includes 12 wavelength selective switches 990 in the example of FIG.

[0018] 6, three types of signals with different wavelengths are input to the spatial add-drop device 900 from a local communication network 991. The signals with different wavelengths propagate through different optical fibers and reach the wavelength selective switch 990, which is pre-connected one-to-one to each of the optical fibers among the wavelength selective switches 990-1 to 990-3.

[0019] A signal of a first wavelength input from the intra-regional communication network 991 is input to the parent port of wavelength selective switch 990-1. A signal of a second wavelength input from the intra-regional communication network 991 is input to the parent port of wavelength selective switch 990-2. A signal of a third wavelength input from the intra-regional communication network 991 is input to the parent port of wavelength selective switch 990-3.

[0020] 6, signals transmitted to the first type of destination reach the wavelength selective switch 990-10 regardless of frequency, and are transmitted from the parent port of the wavelength selective switch 990-10 to the inter-regional communication network 992. Therefore, it is necessary to combine wavelength selective switches 990 so that signals of three types of frequencies can be input to the wavelength selective switch 990-10.

[0021] Therefore, conventionally, one of the child ports of the wavelength selective switch 990-10 is connected to the parent port of the wavelength selective switch 990-7, and the other child port of the wavelength selective switch 990-10 is connected to one of the child ports of the wavelength selective switch 990-1.

[0022] One of the child ports of the wavelength selective switch 990-7 is connected to the child port of the wavelength selective switch 990-2, and the other is connected to the child port of the wavelength selective switch 990-3. A signal of a second type of wavelength is input to the parent port of the wavelength selective switch 990-2 from the intra-regional communication network 991. A signal of a third type of wavelength is input to the parent port of the wavelength selective switch 990-3 from the intra-regional communication network 991. With these connections, the wavelength selective switch 990-10 virtually has three child ports.

[0023] The same situation exists for the remaining two frequencies.

[0024] One of the child ports of the wavelength selective switch 990-11 is connected to the parent port of the wavelength selective switch 990-8, and the other child port of the wavelength selective switch 990-11 is connected to one of the child ports of the wavelength selective switch 990-4 connected to the wavelength selective switch 990-1. The wavelength selective switch 990-1 and the wavelength selective switch 990-4 are connected to each other via their child ports. The wavelength selective switch 990-8 is connected to the wavelength selective switches 990-5 and 990-6 via their child ports.

[0025] The parent port of the wavelength selective switch 990-5 is connected to the child port of the wavelength selective switch 990-2, and the parent port of the wavelength selective switch 990-6 is connected to the child port of the wavelength selective switch 990-3.

[0026] One of the child ports of the wavelength selective switch 990-12 is connected to the parent port of the wavelength selective switch 990-9, and the other child port of the wavelength selective switch 990-12 is connected to the other child port of the wavelength selective switch 990-4. The wavelength selective switch 990-9 is connected to the wavelength selective switches 990-5 and 990-6 via their child ports.

[0027] In Fig. 6, the spatial add-drop device has been explained using the example of signal transmission from intra-area communication to inter-area communication, but signal transmission from inter-area communication to intra-area communication simply reverses the direction of signal flow. As in the case of Fig. 5 described above, even in the case of Fig. 6, the spatial add-drop device that transmits signals from intra-area communication to inter-area communication and the spatial add-drop device that transmits signals from inter-area communication to intra-area communication may be different devices.

[0028] As can be seen by comparing Figures 5 and 6, with conventional technology, changes in frequency and propagation destinations require significant changes to the connection relationships of wavelength selective switches. As a result, optical communication administrators had to manually change the connection relationships of wavelength selective switches as needed, depending on changes in frequency and communication destinations that accompany an increase or decrease in the number of users. This can sometimes place a heavy burden on optical communication administrators.

[0029] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for reducing the burden on an administrator required to manage optical communications. [Means for solving the problem]

[0030] One aspect of the present invention is a plurality of wavelength selective switches having a parent port with multiple candidate ports as output destinations for incident optical signals and multiple child ports with one output destination for the incident optical signals, wherein the candidate output destinations for optical signals incident on the parent port are the child ports and the output destination of the optical signals incident on the child ports is the parent port; a space switch having multiple input ports into which optical signals are incident and multiple output ports from which optical signals are emitted, wherein the connection relationship between the input ports and the output ports is changeable, and some of the input ports are connected to parent ports of some of the plurality of wavelength selective switches and some of the output ports are connected to child ports of other parts of the plurality of wavelength selective switches; and a control unit that controls the operation of the spatial switch, wherein an optical signal transmitted from an external device is input to some of the input ports that are not connected to the wavelength selective switch and the line cascade fibers, and an optical signal is output to an external device that is an output target from some of the output ports that are not connected to the wavelength selective switch and the client cascade fibers.

[0031] One aspect of the present invention is a plurality of wavelength selective switches having a parent port with multiple candidate ports as output destinations for an incident optical signal and multiple child ports with one output destination for the incident optical signal, wherein the candidate output destinations for an optical signal incident on the parent port are the child ports and the output destination of the optical signal incident on the child port is the parent port; a space switch having multiple input ports into which optical signals are incident and multiple output ports from which optical signals are emitted, wherein the connection relationship between the input ports and the output ports is changeable, some of the input ports are connected to parent ports of some of the wavelength selective switches, and some of the output ports are connected to child ports of other some of the wavelength selective switches; a plurality of line cascade fibers connected to parent ports of the wavelength selective switch, one end of which is connected to other some of the input ports and the other end of which is connected to the output port; an optical communication control device comprising: a plurality of client cascade fibers connected to other ends of output ports and connected to child ports of the wavelength selective switch connected to the input port; and a control unit for controlling the operation of the spatial switch, wherein optical signals transmitted from an external device are input to some of the input ports that are not connected to the wavelength selective switch and the line cascade fibers, and optical signals are output to an external device that is an output target from some of the output ports that are not connected to the wavelength selective switch and the client cascade fibers; and an optical communication control method executed by the control unit included in the optical communication control device, wherein the control unit controls the operation of the wavelength selective switch and the spatial switch to perform a forming process of forming a path that allows transmission of an optical signal to a destination, and the control unit performs a determination process of determining the wavelength of the optical signal to be transmitted on the path.

[0032] One aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to function as the optical communication control device described above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0033] The present invention makes it possible to reduce the burden on the administrator required to manage optical communications. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0034] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an optical communication control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processing executed by an optical communication control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a front panel of the optical communication control device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wavelength selective switch according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] 1 is a diagram showing a first example of the configuration of a spatial add-drop device that connects an inter-area communication network and an intra-area communication network in the prior art; [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second example of the configuration of a spatial add-drop device in the prior art. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] (Embodiment) 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an optical communication control device 1 according to an embodiment. The optical communication control device 1 includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 11, a communication unit 12, a plurality of wavelength selective switches 20, a space switch 30, a plurality of line cascade fibers 40, and a plurality of client cascade fibers 50. The wavelength selective switches 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, and 20-4 in FIG. 1 are all examples of the plurality of wavelength selective switches 20.

[0036] The control unit 10 includes a processor 91 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory 92 connected by a bus, and executes a program. By executing the program, the control unit 10 controls the operations of the wavelength selective switches 20 and the spatial switch 30 via wired or wireless communication.

[0037] More specifically, the processor 91 reads out a program stored in the storage unit 11 and stores the read out program in the memory 92. The processor 91 executes the program stored in the memory 92, whereby the control unit 10 controls the operations of the plurality of wavelength selective switches 20 and the spatial switch 30 via wired or wireless communication. The control unit 10 also controls the operations of the storage unit 11 and the communication unit 12.

[0038] The storage unit 11 is configured using a computer-readable storage medium device (non-transitory computer-readable recording medium) such as a magnetic hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device. The storage unit 11 stores various information related to the optical communication control device 1. The storage unit 11 stores various information generated by the operation of the control unit 10, for example. The storage unit 11 may store, for example, the relationship between the connections of the multiple wavelength selective switches 20, the spatial switch 30, the multiple line cascade fibers 40, and the multiple client cascade fibers 50. The storage unit 11 stores, for example, information indicating wavelengths that have been allocated as wavelengths used for communication (hereinafter referred to as "allocated wavelength information").

[0039] The communication unit 12 includes a communication interface that communicatively connects the control unit 10 to other devices. The communication unit 12 communicates with the other device via wired or wireless communication. The other device is, for example, a terminal operated by an optical communication administrator. In such a case, information sent from a terminal operated by the optical communication administrator is input to the communication unit 12. The information input to the communication unit 12 is output to the control unit 10. The optical communication administrator is also, for example, the administrator of the optical communication control device 1.

[0040] The wavelength selective switch 20 has three or more ports. A port is a location where optical signals are input and output. One of the multiple ports is a parent port, and the rest are child ports. Therefore, the wavelength selective switch 20 has multiple child ports. A parent port is a port that has multiple candidate ports as output destinations for an optical signal that has entered it. Specifically, the candidate output destinations for an optical signal that has entered a parent port are child ports. A child port is a port that has one output destination for an optical signal that has entered it. Specifically, the output destination for an optical signal that has entered a child port is the parent port.

[0041] The spatial switch 30 has a plurality of input ports into which optical signals are input and a plurality of output ports from which optical signals are output, and the connection relationship between the input ports and the output ports is changeable. Some of the input ports of the spatial switch 30 are connected to parent ports of some of the plurality of wavelength selective switches 20. Some of the output ports of the spatial switch 30 are connected to child ports of other some of the plurality of wavelength selective switches 20.

[0042] The line cascade fiber 40 is an optical fiber. One end of the line cascade fiber 40 is connected to another part of the input ports of the spatial switch 30. Specifically, the other part of the input ports of the spatial switch 30 is a part of the input ports of the spatial switch 30 that are not connected to the wavelength selective switch 20. The other end of the line cascade fiber 40 is connected to a parent port of the wavelength selective switch 20 that is connected to an output port of the spatial switch 30. The line cascade fiber bundle 400 in FIG. 1 is a bundle of line cascade fibers 40.

[0043] One end of the client cascade fiber 50 is connected to another part of the output ports of the spatial switch 30. Specifically, the other part of the output ports of the spatial switch 30 is a part of the input ports of the spatial switch 30 that are not connected to the wavelength selective switch 20. The other end of the client cascade fiber 50 is connected to a child port of the wavelength selective switch 20 that is connected to the input port of the spatial switch 30. The client cascade fiber bundle 500 in FIG. 1 is a bundle of client cascade fibers 50.

[0044] Of the input ports of the spatial switch 30, some of the ports that are not connected to the wavelength selective switch 20 and the line cascade fiber 40 are connected to a network external to the optical communication control device 1.

[0045] The network external to the optical communication control device 1 connected to the input port of the spatial switch 30 is the intra-regional communication network in the case of transmitting signals from an intra-regional communication network to an inter-regional communication network. Note that the intra-regional communication network is a network for intra-regional communication, and intra-regional communication is communication within a region. Note that the inter-regional communication network is a network for inter-regional communication, and inter-regional communication is communication between regions.

[0046] The network external to the optical communication control device 1 connected to the input port of the spatial switch 30 is the inter-area communication network in the case of transmitting a signal from an inter-area communication network to an intra-area communication network.

[0047] Therefore, optical signals transmitted by an external device are incident on some of the input ports of the spatial switch 30 that are not connected to the wavelength selective switch 20 and the line cascade fiber 40. A first external device 901 in FIG. 1 is an example of an external device that transmits optical signals to some of the input ports of the spatial switch 30 that are not connected to the wavelength selective switch 20 and the line cascade fiber 40.

[0048] Of the output ports of the spatial switch 30, some of the ports that are not connected to the wavelength selective switch 20 and the client cascade fiber 50 are connected to a network external to the optical communication control device 1.

[0049] The network external to the optical communication control device 1 connected to the output port of the spatial switch 30 is an inter-area communication network in the case of signal transmission from an intra-area communication network to an inter-area communication network. The network external to the optical communication control device 1 connected to the input port of the spatial switch 30 is an intra-area communication network in the case of signal transmission from an inter-area communication network to an intra-area communication network.

[0050] Therefore, among the input ports of the spatial switch 30, some of the ports that are not connected to the wavelength selective switch 20 and the client cascade fiber 50 output optical signals to external devices that are the output targets. The second external device 902 in FIG. 1 is an example of the external device that is the output target.

[0051] <Example of signal flow> The flow of signals within the optical communication control device 1 is predetermined under the control of the control unit 10. Specifically, the control unit 10 executes a connection relationship determination process at a predetermined timing. The connection relationship determination process is a process for determining a transmission path of an optical signal. Specifically, the determination of the transmission path of an optical signal is a process for determining the connection destination of each port of the wavelength selective switch 20, the spatial port to which each line cascade fiber 40 is connected, and the spatial port to which each client cascade fiber 50 is connected in accordance with a predetermined rule.

[0052] In the connection relationship determination process, the connection relationships are determined so that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the wavelength of an optical signal and the transmission destination of the optical signal.

[0053] The determination by the connection relationship determination process is made in accordance with a predetermined rule based on information input by, for example, an optical communication manager to the control unit 10 via the communication unit 12. The information input by, for example, an optical communication manager to the control unit 10 via the communication unit 12 is information indicating the communication status.

[0054] The predetermined timing is, for example, the timing when information indicating the existence of a terminal such as a user terminal to which a new optical signal is to be transmitted and the transmission destination of the optical signal is input to the control unit 10 via the communication unit 12. The device that inputs such a signal to the control unit 10 via the communication unit 12 is, for example, a management device that manages the inter-regional communication network and the intra-regional communication network.

[0055] An example of signal flow will be described using Figure 1 as an example. An optical signal input from the first external device 901 is input to spatial port P0. The optical signal input to spatial port P0 is transmitted within the spatial switch 30 and output from a spatial port predetermined by the control unit 10. Note that "predetermined by the control unit 10" means that the port has been determined in advance by the connection relationship determination process.

[0056] 1, the spatial port P1 is a spatial port determined in advance by the control unit 10 and is the spatial port from which the optical signal incident on the spatial port P0 is emitted. The optical signal emitted to the spatial port P1 is incident on the client cascade fiber 50 connected to the spatial port P1.

[0057] The optical signal incident on the client cascade fiber 50 propagates through the client cascade fiber 50 and is incident on the parent port of the wavelength selective switch 20 to which the client cascade fiber 50 is connected. In the example of Fig. 1, the optical signal is incident on the parent port of the wavelength selective switch 20-3.

[0058] An optical signal input to the wavelength selective switch 20 is output from a child port of the wavelength selective switch 20 that has been input to and that has been predetermined by the control unit 10. The optical signal output from a child port is input to a spatial port to which that child port is connected. Port P2 in FIG. 1 is an example of such a child port.

[0059] The optical signal input to port P2 is transmitted through the spatial switch 30 and output from the spatial port previously connected to port P2. In the example of Fig. 1, the spatial port connected to port P2 is port P3.

[0060] The optical signal output from port P3 is input to a child port of the wavelength selective switch 20 connected to port P3, which is determined in advance by the control unit 10. In the example of Fig. 1, the wavelength selective switch 20 connected to port P3 is the wavelength selective switch 20-1. The optical signal input to the child port is output from the parent port of the wavelength selective switch 20 that has that child port.

[0061] An optical signal output from a parent port is input to the line cascade fiber 40 connected to the parent port. The optical signal input to the line cascade fiber 40 is transmitted through the line cascade fiber 40 and input to the spatial port connected to the line cascade fiber 40. In the example of FIG. 1, the spatial port P4 is the spatial port connected to the line cascade fiber 40.

[0062] The optical signal incident on spatial port P4 is transmitted through the spatial switch 30 and reaches a spatial port previously determined by the control unit 10. In the example of Fig. 1, the spatial port P5 is the destination spatial port. The optical signal that has reached spatial port P5 is output from the optical communication control device 1 toward a second external device that is the output target.

[0063] In the example of FIG. 1, an optical signal that has entered spatial port P0 via such a path is output from spatial port P5. When an optical signal is transmitted from the second external device 902, the optical signal enters, for example, spatial port P5 and travels the path shown in FIG. 1 in reverse to reach the first external device 901. This case of traveling the path in reverse is an example where a so-called spatial add unit and a spatial drop unit are implemented in the same device. The spatial add unit and the spatial drop unit may be implemented in different devices. In this case, the spatial add unit is the optical communication control device 1 through which the optical signal is transmitted from the first external device 901 to the second external device 902. In this case, the spatial drop unit is the optical communication control device 1 through which the optical signal is transmitted from the second external device 902 to the first external device 901.

[0064] 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the optical communication control device 1 in the embodiment. Information indicating the existence of a terminal to which a new optical signal is to be transmitted and the transmission destination of the optical signal is input to the control unit 10 via the communication unit 12 (step S101). Next, the control unit 10 determines whether a route for transmitting the optical signal to the transmission destination input in step S101 exists within the optical communication control device 1 and is formable (step S102).

[0065] The determination is made based on information on the spatial ports to which each child port of the wavelength selective switch 20 is connected, the spatial ports to which each line cascade fiber 40 is connected, and the spatial ports to which each client cascade fiber 50 is connected.

[0066] If there is a connection (step S102: YES), the control unit 10 executes a connection relationship determination process to determine a path for transmitting the optical signal (step S103). Next, the control unit 10 controls the operation of the wavelength selective switch 20 and the spatial switch 30 to form the determined path (step S104). The determined path is a path through which the optical signal can be transmitted.

[0067] Next, the control unit 10 determines whether or not there is an unused wavelength (step S105). The determination is made based on, for example, the allocated wavelength information.

[0068] If there is an unused wavelength (step S105: YES), the control unit 10 determines the wavelength of the new optical signal in step S101 from the unused wavelengths in accordance with a predetermined rule (step S106).

[0069] Next, the control unit 10 controls the operation of the wavelength selective switch 20 so that the optical signal of the determined wavelength is transmitted to the transmission destination (step S107). This enables the optical signal of the wavelength determined in step S106 to be transmitted along the route determined to exist in step S102.

[0070] Next, the control unit 10 outputs information indicating the determined wavelength to a predetermined output destination via the communication unit 12 (step S108). At this time, the allocated wavelength information is updated, and the updated allocated wavelength information indicates that the wavelength determined in step S106 is an unused wavelength.

[0071] On the other hand, if there is no unused wavelength (step S105: NO), the control unit 10 outputs information indicating that communication is not possible to a predetermined output destination via the communication unit 12 (step S109).

[0072] On the other hand, if there is no formable route in step S102 (step S102: NO), the process returns to step S109.

[0073] Note that, as long as the processes of steps S107 and S108 are performed after the process of step S106, either one may be performed first, or both may be performed in parallel.

[0074] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a front panel of the optical communication control device 1 according to the embodiment. The front panel 110 of the optical communication control device 1 includes a client-side fiber port group 111, a line-side fiber port group 112, a client-side WSS insertion port group 114, a line-side WSS insertion port group 115, and a control port 116.

[0075] The client side fiber port group 111 includes a plurality of client side fiber ports 117. The client side fiber ports 117 are connected to the client cascade fibers 50. Therefore, the client side fiber ports 117 are an example of spatial ports.

[0076] The line side fiber port group 112 includes a plurality of line side fiber ports 118. The line cascade fiber 40 is connected to the client side fiber port 117. Therefore, the line side fiber port 118 is an example of a spatial port.

[0077] The client-side WSS insertion port group 114 includes a plurality of client-side WSS insertion ports 120. The client-side WSS insertion ports 120 are ports to which the wavelength selective switches 20 can be connected. Therefore, the client-side WSS insertion ports 120 are an example of spatial ports.

[0078] 3 shows a state in which some of the multiple client-side WSS add ports 120 included in the client-side WSS add port group 114 are connected to the wavelength selective switch 20, and the remaining some are not connected to the wavelength selective switch 20. In this way, it is not necessary for all of the client-side WSS add ports 120 included in the client-side WSS add port group 114 to be connected to the wavelength selective switch 20.

[0079] The line-side WSS add port group 115 includes a plurality of line-side WSS add ports 121. The line-side WSS add ports 121 are ports to which the wavelength selective switches 20 can be connected. Therefore, the line-side WSS add ports 121 are an example of spatial ports.

[0080] 3 shows a state in which some of the multiple line-side WSS add ports 121 included in the line-side WSS add port group 115 are connected to the wavelength selective switch 20, and the remaining some are not connected to the wavelength selective switch 20. In this way, it is not necessary for all of the line-side WSS add ports 121 included in the line-side WSS add port group 115 to be connected to the wavelength selective switch 20.

[0081] The control port 116 is a port into which a control signal transmitted by the control unit 10 enters, and is also a port from which a signal to the control unit 10 is emitted. Therefore, the control port 116 is connected to a wired connection such as a bus connected to the control unit 10. According to instructions from the control unit 10 input to the control port 116, the operations of the wavelength selective switch 20 connected to the client-side WSS add port 120, the wavelength selective switch 20 connected to the line-side WSS add port 121, and the spatial switch 30 are controlled.

[0082] As described above, it is not necessary for all of the client-side WSS add ports 120 included in the client-side WSS add port group 114 to be connected to the wavelength selective switch 20. Also, it is not necessary for all of the line-side WSS add ports 121 included in the line-side WSS add port group 115 to be connected to the wavelength selective switch 20.

[0083] The administrator can connect a wavelength selective switch 20 to an unconnected client-side WSS add port 120. The administrator can also remove the wavelength selective switch 20 from a connected client-side WSS add port 120. In other words, the wavelength selective switch 20 is detachable in the optical communication control device 1. The same applies to an unconnected line-side WSS add port 121.

[0084] For example, when the number of users decreases, it is possible to reduce the amount of calculation or power consumption for the connection relationship determination process by removing or powering off the connected wavelength selective switch 20. In this way, by making the wavelength selective switch 20 detachable or power-offable from the optical communication control device 1, it is possible to reduce the load required for information processing, such as calculation speed, or power consumption.

[0085] This also applies to the line-side WSS insertion port 121 included in the line-side WSS insertion port group 115.

[0086] Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wavelength selective switch 20 according to an embodiment. In the example of Fig. 4, the wavelength selective switch 20 includes one parent port 201, two child ports 202, and a control line 203. The parent port 201 is a parent port, and the child port 202 is a child port. The control line 203 is a port through which a control signal transmitted by the control unit 10 enters, and is also a port from which a signal directed to the control unit 10 is emitted.

[0087] 4, the direction indicated by the arrow Y is the insertion direction when the wavelength selective switch 20 and the front panel 110 are connected by inserting the wavelength selective switch 20 into the front panel 110. In the example of FIG. 4, the parent port and the child port are present on a single surface A1 that is perpendicular to the insertion direction and faces the front panel 110. Therefore, compared to when ports are present on multiple surfaces, for example, an administrator can easily remove the wavelength selective switch 20. When ports are present on multiple surfaces, for example, the parent port and one of the child ports are present on surface A1, and the other child port is present on surface A2 that is perpendicular to the insertion direction and does not face the front panel 110.

[0088] In this way, when the connection between the wavelength selective switch 20 and the destination is established by inserting the wavelength selective switch 20 into the destination, the parent port and child port of the wavelength selective switch 20 may be located on a single plane that is perpendicular to the insertion direction and faces the destination. In this case, the administrator can easily remove the wavelength selective switch 20.

[0089] The optical communication control device 1 configured in this manner includes a spatial switch 30 and a wavelength selective switch 20 that are controlled by a control unit. Therefore, when adding a path for transmitting an optical signal, the optical communication control device 1 does not require an administrator to manually change the connection relationship of the wavelength selective switch 20. Therefore, the optical communication control device 1 can reduce the administrator's burden for managing optical communications.

[0090] (Variation) The control unit 10 and the storage unit 11 may each be implemented using a plurality of information processing devices communicably connected via a network. In this case, each process executed by the control unit 10 may be distributed and executed by the plurality of information processing devices.

[0091] All or part of the functions of the optical communication control device 1 may be realized using hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Examples of computer-readable recording media include portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. The program may be transmitted via a telecommunications line.

[0092] The front panel 110 is an example of an insertion destination.

[0093] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes designs within the scope of the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 1...optical communication control device, 10...control unit, 11...storage unit, 12...communication unit, 20-1 to 20-4, 20...wavelength selective switch, 40...line cascade fiber, 400...line cascade fiber bundle, 50...client cascade fiber, 500...client cascade fiber bundle, 901...first external device, 902...second external device, 111...client side fiber port group, 112...line side fiber port group, 114...client side WSS insertion port group, 115...line side WSS insertion port group, 116...control port, 117...client side fiber port, 118...line side fiber port, 120...client side WSS insertion port, 121...line side WSS insertion port, 91...processor, 92...memory

Claims

1. a plurality of wavelength selective switches each having a parent port with a plurality of candidate ports as an output destination of an incident optical signal and a plurality of child ports with a single output destination of the incident optical signal, wherein the candidate output destinations of the optical signal incident on the parent port are the child ports and the output destination of the optical signal incident on the child port is the parent port; a space switch having a plurality of input ports into which optical signals are input and a plurality of output ports from which optical signals are output, the connection relationship between the input ports and the output ports being changeable, some of the input ports being connected to child ports of some of the plurality of wavelength selective switches, and some of the output ports being connected to child ports of other some of the plurality of wavelength selective switches; a plurality of line cascade fibers connected to parent ports of the wavelength selective switch, one end of the parent ports being connected to another part of the input ports and the other end of the parent ports being connected to the output ports; a plurality of client cascade fibers, one end of each of which is connected to another part of the output ports and the other end of which is connected to a parent port of the wavelength selective switch connected to the input port; a control unit for controlling the operation of the spatial switch; Equipped with An optical signal transmitted from an external device is input to a part of the input ports that is not connected to the wavelength selective switch and the line cascade fiber, and an optical signal is output to an external device that is an output target from a part of the output ports that is not connected to the wavelength selective switch and the client cascade fiber. Optical communication control device.

2. The wavelength selective switch is detachable. The optical communication control device according to claim 1 .

3. when a connection between the wavelength selective switch and a destination is made by inserting the wavelength selective switch into the destination, a parent port and a child port of the wavelength selective switch are present on a plane perpendicular to the direction of insertion and facing the destination, The optical communication control device according to claim 2 .

4. a plurality of wavelength selective switches having a parent port with a plurality of candidate ports as output destinations for an incident optical signal and a plurality of child ports with a single output destination for the incident optical signal, wherein the candidate output destinations for an optical signal incident on the parent port are the child ports, and the output destination of an optical signal incident on the child port is the parent port; a plurality of input ports into which optical signals are incident and a plurality of output ports from which optical signals are emitted, wherein the connection relationship between the input ports and the output ports is changeable, some of the input ports are connected to child ports of some of the plurality of wavelength selective switches, and some of the output ports are connected to child ports of other some of the plurality of wavelength selective switches; and a space switch having one end connected to other some of the input ports and the other end connected to the output ports. an optical communication control device including a plurality of line cascade fibers connected to a parent port of the wavelength selective switch connected to one end of the wavelength selective switch and a plurality of client cascade fibers having one end connected to another part of the output port and the other end connected to the parent port of the wavelength selective switch connected to the input port; and a control unit for controlling an operation of the spatial switch, wherein an optical signal transmitted from an external device is input to some of the input ports that are not connected to the wavelength selective switch and the line cascade fibers, and an optical signal is output to an external device that is an output target from some of the output ports that are not connected to the wavelength selective switch and the client cascade fibers, a forming process in which the control unit controls the operations of the wavelength selective switch and the spatial switch to form a path through which an optical signal can be transmitted to a transmission destination; a determination process in which the control unit determines a wavelength of an optical signal to be transmitted through the path; An optical communication control method for performing the above.

5. A program for causing a computer to function as the optical communication control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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