Switch system and method for the monitoring of virtual optical paths in an optical burst switched (OBS) communication network

A method for sending and/or receiving data in an Optical Burst Switched (OBS) optical network comprising the steps of:

• monitoring and maintaining, using a switch controller, mesh of virtual optical paths from a communication node to a plurality of other communication nodes, arranged in a ring network, enabling traffic data to be transmitted and/or received between nodes via a physical optical path;
• and
• sending, over at least one switch port, a data packet probe on a virtual path from a node to each other node in the OBS communication network, wherein data packet probe information received at a switch provides information of availability of the physical optical path for sending traffic data between nodes.

A computer program encoded on a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for causing a computer to perform a method for sending and/or receiving data in an Optical Burst Switched (OBS) optical network comprising the steps of:

• monitoring and maintaining mesh of virtual optical paths from a communication node to a plurality of other communication nodes, arranged in a ring network, enabling traffic data to be transmitted and/or received between nodes via a physical optical path;
• and
• sending a data packet probe on a virtual path from a node to each other node in the OBS communication network, wherein data packet probe information received at a switch provides information of availability of the physical optical path for sending traffic data between nodes.

An optical burst switch in an Optical Burst Switched (OBS) communication network, said optical burst switch comprising:

• a switch controller configured to monitor and maintain mesh of virtual optical paths from a communication node to a plurality of other communication nodes, arranged in a ring network, enabling traffic data to be transmitted and/or received between nodes via a physical optical path;
• and
• a path monitor source configured to send a data packet probe on a virtual path from a node to each other node in the OBS communication network, and a path monitor receiver configured to receive data packet probe information and to determine information of availability of the physical optical path for sending traffic data between nodes.