Method and system to frame and format optical control and data bursts in WDM-based photonic burst switched networks

A method to communicate information between nodes in a wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) photonic burst switched (PBS) network, the method comprising:

• formatting the information in a PBS burst frame, the PBS burst frame including a PBS burst header having fields for indicating whether:
• the PBS burst frame is a PBS control burst,
• the control burst is transmitted on a wavelength different from that of an associated PBS data burst, and
• the PBS burst frame has a label for use in a generalized multi-protocol label swapping (GMPLS)-based system;
• and
• optically transmitting the PBS burst frame over the PBS network.

A machine-readable medium to provide instructions, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations for use in a wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) photonic burst switched (PBS) network, the operations comprising:

• formatting information in a PBS burst frame, the PBS burst frame including a PBS burst header having fields for indicating whether:
• the PBS burst frame is a PBS control burst,
• the control burst is transmitted on a wavelength different from that of an associated PBS data burst, and
• the PBS burst frame has a label for use in a generalized multi-protocol label swapping (GMPLS)-based system;
• and
• optically transmitting the PBS burst frame over the PBS network.

A system comprising:

• a first network;
• and
• a photonic burst switched (PBS) network coupled to the first network, the PBS network further comprising a node that includes;
• a burst framer to format information in a PBS burst frame to be transmitted over the PBS network, the PBS burst frame to include a PBS burst header having fields to indicate whether:
• the PBS burst frame is a PBS control burst;
• the control burst is transmitted on a wavelength different from that of an associated PBS data burst;
• and
• the PBS burst frame has a label for use in a generalized multi-protocol label swapping (GMPLS)-based system.