# US 2014/0193154 A1 · Subchannel security at the optical layer

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- Number: US 2014/0193154 A1
- Document ID: US20140193154A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/143,726
- Filed: 2013-12-30
- Published: 2014-07-10
- Earliest claimed: 2010-02-22
- Assignees: Vello Systems, Inc.
- Applicants: Vello Systems, Inc.
- Inventors: Trevor Graham; Scott Walker; Alan McKee; Karl May; Piotr Myslinski; Richard King
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140193154A1

## CPC

- H04J 14/0227: {Operation, administration, maintenance or provisioning [OAMP] of WDM networks, e.g. media access, routing or wavelength allocation}
- H04J 14/0298: {with sub-carrier multiplexing [SCM]}
- H04K 1/003: {by varying carrier frequency at or within predetermined or random intervals (H04K1/04 takes precedence)}
- H04K 1/10: by using two signals transmitted simultaneously or successively
- H04L 41/0816: the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
- H04L 41/0823: characterised by the purposes of a change of settings, e.g. optimising configuration for enhancing reliability (for optimising operational conditions of wireless networks H04W24/02)
- H04L 41/122: of virtualised topologies, e.g. software-defined networks [SDN] or network function virtualisation [NFV]
- H04L 41/145: {involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network}
- H04L 43/0823: Errors, e.g. transmission errors
- H04L 43/14: {using software, i.e. software packages (network security related monitoring H04L63/1408)}
- H04L 45/14: {Routing performance; Theoretical aspects}
- H04L 67/56: Provisioning of proxy services (store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54)
- H04L 63/08: {for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32)}
- H04J: MULTIPLEX COMMUNICATION (transmission in general H04B; peculiar to transmission of digital information H04L5/00; systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal H04N7/08; in exchanges H04Q11/00; stereophonic systems H04S)
- H04K: SECRET COMMUNICATION; JAMMING OF COMMUNICATION
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

The present invention includes various novel systems and methods for dynamically modifying WDM transmission and receive steps (individually or in combination), including encoding client signals, mapping them to subchannels within or across ITU channels, modulating them onto subcarrier frequencies, and multiplexing them together for optical transmission. By dynamically modifying one or more of these processing steps over time (as well as encrypting underlying client signals), additional security is provided at the physical (optical) layer of an optical network, thereby greatly enhancing overall network security. Tunable lasers are employed to generate respective subcarrier frequencies, which represent subchannels of an ITU channel to which client signals are mapped. Client circuits are divided and combined with one another before being mapped to individual subchannels within and across ITU channels, thereby facilitating desired optical routing, switching, concatenation and protection of the client circuits mapped to those subchannels across the nodes of a WDM network.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of providing security at the physical layer of an optical network by processing client signals for transmission on a fiber optic cable of the optical network, the fiber optic cable carrying a plurality of ITU (International Telecommunications Union) channels, each ITU channel having a corresponding ITU carrier frequency and a plurality of subchannels, each of the subchannels having a corresponding subcarrier frequency within that ITU channel, the method comprising the following steps:
(a) encoding a plurality of client signals;
(b) buffering and synchronizing the encoded client signals;
(c) tuning a distinct laser to generate a corresponding subcarrier frequency within each ITU channel, and mapping the buffered and synchronized encoded client signals to respective subchannels of the ITU channels, wherein each subchannel of the ITU channels corresponds to a subcarrier frequency of its corresponding ITU carrier frequency generated by one of the distinct lasers;
(d) modulating each subchannel of the ITU channels onto the subcarrier frequency of its corresponding ITU carrier frequency;
(e) multiplexing together those subchannels of the ITU channels whose corresponding frequencies fall within the same ITU channel to create a plurality of ITU channel signals, and multiplexing the ITU channel signals to generate and transmit an optical signal along the fiber optic cable of the optical network; and
(f) modifying dynamically over time one or more of the processing steps (a)-(e).