Method and system for restoring a distributed telecommunications network

A distributed telecommunications network having the ability to restore a distributed telecommunications network by rerouting traffic from one path to another when a link or a node in an original path fails, said distributed telecommunications network comprising:

• a plurality of nodes for routing telecommunications traffic;
• a plurality of links for establishing a path connecting selected ones of said plurality of nodes;
• said nodes comprising a set of network restoring instructions and circuitry for executing said network restoring instructions, said network restoring instructions comprising:
• instructions for notifying nodes neighboring said failed link of the distributed telecommunications network of the failure of the link;
• instructions for determining a plurality of alternate paths for rerouting the disrupted traffic by sending a plurality of messages throughout the distributed telecommunications network;
• instructions for issuing to a control mechanism a plurality of connect commands for making cross connections to nodes on selected ones of the alternate paths;
• and
• instructions for synchronizing the nodes of the alternate paths for connecting the nodes along the selected ones of the alternate paths.

A method for forming a distributed telecommunications network having the ability to reroute traffic from one path to another when a link or a node in an original path fails, said distributed telecommunications network forming method comprising the steps of:

• forming a plurality of nodes for routing telecommunications traffic;
• forming a plurality of links for establishing a path connecting selected ones of said plurality of nodes;
• and
• forming said plurality of nodes to comprise a set of network restoring instructions and circuitry for executing said network restoring instructions, said network restoring instructions formed by the steps of:
• forming instructions for notifying nodes neighboring said failed link of the distributed telecommunications network of the failure of the link;
• forming instructions for determining a plurality of alternate paths for re-routing the disrupted traffic by sending a plurality of messages throughout the distributed telecommunications network;
• forming instructions for issuing to a control mechanism a plurality of connect commands for making cross connections to nodes on selected ones of the alternate paths;
• and
• forming instructions for synchronizing the nodes of alternate paths for connecting the nodes along the selected ones of the alternate paths.