Autonomous topology realization for tilt control in an optical segment

An optical network, comprising:

• a head-end network element having a head-end processor, a head-end non-transitory processor-readable medium storing head-end processor-executable instructions, and a head-end optical channel monitor;
• a tail-end network element having a tail-end processor, a tail-end non-transitory processor-readable medium storing tail-end processor-executable instructions, and a tail-end optical channel monitor;
• an optical multiplex section connecting the head-end network element and the tail-end network element;
• and
• one or more intermediate line amplifiers in the optical multiplex section between the head-end network element and the tail-end network element, a first intermediate line amplifier of the one or more intermediate line amplifiers having an intermediate optical channel monitor;
• wherein the head-end processor-executable instructions, when executed by the head-end processor, cause the head-end processor to:
• store first tilt control information indicative of a first tilt control section having the head-end network element as a first upstream endpoint and the first intermediate line amplifier as a first downstream endpoint;
• store second tilt control information indicative of a second tilt control section having the first intermediate line amplifier as a second upstream endpoint and the tail-end network element as a second downstream endpoint;
• determine topology information indicative of a topology of the optical multiplex section, the topology information including line amplifier information indicative of an operational status of the one or more intermediate line amplifiers;
• determine, based on the operational status of the one or more intermediate line amplifiers, that the intermediate optical channel monitor of the first intermediate line amplifier has switched from a monitoring mode to a non-monitoring mode;
• and
• store third tilt control information indicative of a third tilt control section having the head-end network element as a third upstream endpoint and the tail-end network element as a third downstream endpoint.

A network element in an optical network, comprising:

• a head-end processor;
• and
• a head-end non-transitory processor-readable medium storing head-end processor-executable instructions that when executed cause the head-end processor to:
• store first tilt control information indicative of a first tilt control section having the network element as a head-end network element acting as an upstream endpoint and a first tail-end network element acting as a downstream endpoint, the first tilt control section having a first number of network elements between the head-end network element and the first tail-end network element;
• send a first signal to the first tail-end network element, the first signal having a plurality of spectral slices, each of the plurality of spectral slices having an optical power level;
• receive, from the first tail-end network element, tilt information including a measurement of the optical power level of each of the plurality of spectral slices of the first signal, thereby determining a tilt of the first signal;
• generate, based on the tilt information, a tilt correction profile, the tilt correction profile including an amount of amplification or attenuation configured to be applied to each of the plurality of spectral slices of the first signal to correct the tilt of the first signal;
• send one or more distributed second signals in a downstream direction toward the first tail-end network element, each of the one or more distributed second signals configured to be received by one of the first number of network elements of the first tilt control section, the one or more distributed second signals including a first number of distributed tilt correction profiles corresponding to the first number of network elements, each of the first number of distributed tilt correction profiles including a portion of the amount of amplification or attenuation configured to be applied to each of the plurality of spectral slices of the first signal to correct the tilt of the first signal;
• determine a change to a topology of the first tilt control section;
• store second tilt control information indicative of a second tilt control section having a second tail-end network element different from the first tail-end network element and having a second number of network elements between the head-end network element and the second tail-end network element;
• and
• send one or more distributed third signals in a downstream direction toward the second tail-end network element, each of the one or more distributed third signals configured to be received by only the second number of network elements between the head-end network element and the second tail-end network element, the one or more distributed third signals including a second number of distributed tilt correction profiles, each of the second number of distributed tilt correction profiles including a portion of the amount of amplification or attenuation configured to be applied to each of the plurality of spectral slices of the first signal to correct the tilt of the first signal.