Messaging Channel in a Coherent Optical DSP Frame

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for providing a messaging channel within a coherent optical Digital Signal Processing (DSP) frame. A coherent optical modem generates a DSP frame comprising a plurality of symbols, including padding symbols and reserved symbols, and defines a messaging channel by modulating a message on at least a subset of the padding symbols or the reserved symbols. The messaging channel enables low-bandwidth information exchange prior to Forward Error Correction (FEC) decoding on the data path, facilitating communication before establishment of a stable bidirectional link. The message may be carried in padding symbols, reserved symbols randomized to avoid strong tones, or vendor-specific symbols assigned in the first DSP sub-frame. Example message content includes hardware details, identifiers, version information, counters, payload data, and I/Q tributary mapping. The approach is applicable to DSP frames compliant with ITU-T G.709.3 Amendment 1, OIF-400ZR, or OpenZR+ specifications.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.