FlexO/ZR Interface Subrating for Partial Service Survivability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current optical networking systems lack partial survivability, leading to significant service disruptions and increased bandwidth requirements when a single carrier or module fails, as they typically consider the entire interface failed, affecting all services despite only a portion being impacted.
Innovation Solution
Implementing partial survivability methods that allow for subrating of optical interfaces, using signals like partial Alarm Indication Signal (P-AIS), partial Backward Defect Indication (P-BDI), and partial Server Signal Fail (P-SSF) to identify and adjust affected services, redistributing bandwidth and overhead on non-failed carriers, and utilizing Software Defined Networking (SDN) for dynamic capacity adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the entire optical interface is considered failed when a single carrier fails, then compliance with existing standards is maintained, but service disruption scope increases and reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the optical interface into multiple independent carriers (OTSi) that can fail individually without taking down the entire interface. Each carrier is treated as a separate service unit, allowing selective restoration of only affected services while maintaining operational carriers. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by enabling fine-grained failure isolation that improves reliability without requiring complete interface shutdown.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by applying different failure handling policies to different carriers within the same interface. Instead of uniform failure treatment, the system identifies and isolates only the specific carrier(s) that failed, while allowing other carriers to continue operating. This localized approach maintains service continuity for unaffected services and reduces the impact scope of carrier failures.
2Loss of energy
If the entire interface is restored after a carrier failure, then service restoration is simplified, but bandwidth consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by restoring only the affected services and carriers rather than the entire interface. The system calculates and restores bandwidth only for services that experienced failure, avoiding unnecessary bandwidth allocation for services that remained operational. This partial restoration approach significantly reduces bandwidth consumption while maintaining effective service recovery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the failure isolation mechanism from the broader interface management system. By using P-AIS and P-BDI signals, the system identifies and separates affected services from operational ones, allowing selective restoration of only the extracted failed services. This extraction enables precise bandwidth allocation for restoration purposes, eliminating waste from restoring entire interfaces.
3Adaptability or versatility
If subrating is implemented at the FlexO/ZR interface layer, then partial survivability is achieved, but standard compliance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements universality by designing a subrating mechanism that can operate across multiple interface types (OTN, FlexE, FlexO, ZR) using common principles. The P-AIS/P-BDI signaling framework and service identification methods are applicable across different interface standards, allowing the system to provide partial survivability and rate adjustment functionality while maintaining compatibility with existing standards through a unified approach.
Data Source
AI summary
An optical interface includes circuitry configured to operate the optical interface at a first rate, subsequent to a requirement to suberate the optical interface to a second rate, determine which services are affected, signal a partial failure for the one or more affected services, and operate the optical interface at a second rate that is less than the first rate. The optical interface can be a Flexible Optical (FlexO) or ZR interface.