Method and system for establishing transmission priority for optical light-trails

An optical network operable to carry optical traffic in a plurality of wavelengths between a plurality of nodes, the optical network comprising:

• a light-trail established in the optical network between a convener node and an end node, wherein the light-trail couples the convener node, one or more intervening nodes, and the end node, and wherein the light-trail is associated with one of the plurality of wavelengths;
• the convener node operable to establish the optical light-trail by transmitting, in a control channel associated with a different wavelength than the wavelength associated with the light-trail, a setup message to the intervening nodes and the end node;
• each of the one or more intervening nodes operable to configure a wavelength-blocking unit of that intervening node, in response to receiving the setup message, to allow optical traffic propagating at the wavelength associated with the light-trail to pass through that intervening node;
• and
• the convener node and the intervening nodes each further operable to:
• determine whether another node having a higher priority is transmitting optical traffic on the light-trail;
• in response to determining that no node having a higher priority is transmitting optical traffic on the light-trail, transmit optical traffic to one of the nodes in the light-trail;
• and
• indicate to one or more nodes on the light-trail that optical traffic is being transmitted on the light-trail.