System and method for configuring a network element to support protection switching in an optical network

A network element for use in either a SDH or a SONET network comprising:

• a shelf processor card having memory storing a complete set of triggering parameters for implementing protection switching in an SDH network and a complete set of triggering parameters for implementing protection switching in a SONET network;
• a plurality of other cards each configured with a default set of triggering parameters in which each triggering parameter is common to SDH and SONET optical transport standards, the default set lacking one or more triggering parameters required to perform a given protection scheme in at least one of the SDH and SONET networks;
• and
• an interface through which a user can instruct the shelf processor card to transmit, from one of the complete sets of triggering parameters stored at the shelf processor card to each other card in the network element, each triggering parameter required to perform the given protection scheme but lacking in the default set of that other card after the network element is deployed in a type of optical network requiring the lacking triggering parameter in order for that other card of the network element to perform the given protection scheme.

A network element for use in either a SDH or a SONET optical network comprising:

• a shelf processor card having memory storing a complete set of triggering parameters for implementing protection switching in an SDH optical network and a complete set of triggering parameters for implementing protection switching in a SONET optical network;
• means for determining a default set of triggering parameters in which each triggering parameter is common to SDH and SONET optical transport standards for providing protection switching;
• means for configuring a second card of the network element with the default set of triggering parameters, the default set lacking one or more triggering parameters required to perform a given protection scheme in at least one of the SDH and SONET optical networks;
• and
• means for obtaining from one of the complete sets of triggering parameters and transmitting from the shelf processor card to the second card of the network element each triggering parameter required to perform the given protection scheme but lacking in the default set after the network element is deployed in a type of optical network that requires the lacking triggering parameter in order for the second card of the network element to perform the given protection scheme.