Automated fiber cross-connect service within a multi-tenant interconnection facility

A computing device comprising:

• at least one programmable processor operably coupled to a memory;
• and
• a programmable network platform configured for execution by the at least one programmable processor to:
• receive a fiber cross-connect request that requests an interconnection in at least one interconnection facility between a first customer and a second customer and specifies an identifier for a first provider-side optical port and an identifier for a second provider-side optical port for an end-to-end optical fiber cross-connect;
• and
• in response to receiving the fiber cross-connect request, configure a plurality of photonic switches to create an optical fiber cross-connect between a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber to provide an end-to-end optical fiber cross-connect that includes the first optical fiber, the second optical fiber, and the optical fiber cross-connect,
• wherein the first customer has a first customer space located within the at least one interconnection facility and the second customer has a second customer space located within the at least one interconnection facility,
• wherein the first customer space is associated with a first fiber patch panel comprising a first plurality of provider-side optical ports accessible to an interconnection system provider for the at least one interconnection facility and a first plurality of customer-side optical ports accessible to the first customer from the first customer space, the first plurality of provider-side optical ports including the first provider-side optical port operably coupled to the first optical fiber from a plurality of optical fibers interconnecting the plurality of photonic switches to form an optical switch fabric, and
• wherein the second customer space is associated with a second fiber patch panel comprising a second plurality of provider-side optical ports accessible to the interconnection system provider and a second plurality of customer-side optical ports accessible to the second customer from the second customer space, the second plurality of provider-side optical ports including the second provider-side optical port operably coupled to the first optical fiber from the plurality of optical fibers.

A method comprising:

• receiving, by a programmable network platform for at least one interconnection facility, a fiber cross-connect request that requests an interconnection in the at least one interconnection facility between a first customer and a second customer and specifies an identifier for the first provider-side optical port and an identifier for the second provider-side optical port for an end-to-end optical fiber cross-connect;
• and
• configuring, by the programmable network platform in response to receiving the fiber cross-connect request, a plurality of photonic switches to create an optical fiber cross-connect between a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber to provide an end-to-end optical fiber cross-connect that includes the first optical fiber, the second optical fiber, and the optical fiber cross-connect,
• wherein the first customer has a first customer space located within the at least one interconnection facility and the second customer has a second customer space located within the at least one interconnection facility,
• wherein the first customer space is associated with a first fiber patch panel comprising a first plurality of provider-side optical ports accessible to an interconnection system provider for the at least one interconnection facility and a first plurality of customer-side optical ports accessible to the first customer from the first customer space, the first plurality of provider-side optical ports including the first provider-side optical port operably coupled to the first optical fiber from a plurality of optical fibers interconnecting the plurality of photonic switches to form an optical switch fabric, and
• wherein the second customer space is associated with a second fiber patch panel comprising a second plurality of provider-side optical ports accessible to the interconnection system provider and a second plurality of customer-side optical ports accessible to the second customer from the second customer space, the second plurality of provider-side optical ports including the second provider-side optical port operably coupled to the first optical fiber from the plurality of optical fibers.

An interconnection system comprising:

• at least one interconnection facility and a programmable network platform, the at least one interconnection facility including:
• an optical switch fabric having a plurality of optical fibers and a plurality of photonic switches interconnected by the plurality of optical fibers;
• a first customer space, for a first customer of an interconnection system provider for the interconnection system, within the at least one interconnection facility, the first customer space associated with a first fiber patch panel comprising a first plurality of provider-side optical ports accessible to the interconnection system provider and a first plurality of customer-side optical ports accessible to the first customer from the first customer space, the first plurality of provider-side optical ports including a first provider-side optical port operably coupled to a first optical fiber from the plurality of optical fibers;
• and
• a second customer space, for a second customer of the interconnection system provider, within the at least one interconnection facility, the second customer space associated with a second fiber patch panel comprising a second plurality of provider-side optical ports accessible to the interconnection system provider and a second plurality of customer-side optical ports accessible to the second customer from the second customer space, the second plurality of provider-side optical ports including a second provider-side optical port operably coupled to a second optical fiber from the plurality of optical fibers, and
• the programmable network platform comprising an application programming interface to receive fiber cross-connect requests from applications,
• wherein the programmable network platform, in response to receipt by the application programming interface of a fiber cross-connect request that requests an interconnection between the first customer and the second customer and specifies an identifier for the first provider-side optical port and an identifier for the second provider-side optical port for an end-to-end optical fiber cross-connect, is configured to configure the plurality of photonic switches to create an optical fiber cross-connect between the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber to provide the end-to-end optical fiber cross-connect that includes the first optical fiber, the second optical fiber, and the optical fiber cross-connect.