Ghost Channel Management for PHB Mitigation

A system for managing the selection of ghost channels in an optical communication system, comprising:

• a first degree of a node in the optical communication system;
• a second degree of the node in the optical communication system;
• a first channel information module communicatively coupled to the first degree, configured to collect one or more first data values indicating the validity of an optical communication channel within the first degree;
• and
• a second channel information module communicatively coupled to the first degree, configured to collect one or more second data values indicating the optical power level of the optical communication channel, wherein the first degree is configured to:
• to transmit the first and second data values to a second degree of the node;
• receive the first and second data values from the second degree;
• and
• aggregate the first and second data points for the first and second degrees.