US 9,871,648 B2 · Distributing clock synchronization information within an optical communications network

Abstract

A method distributes clock synchronization information within an optical communications network that includes a plurality of network elements. The method receives an ingress clock synchronization message at a first network element. The ingress clock synchronization message includes a clock synchronization message identifier and a correction field. The clock synchronization message identifier is inserted into an optical channel frame overhead and the ingress clock synchronization message is inserted into an optical channel frame payload. The optical channel frame overhead and the optical channel frame payload are transmitted across the first network element, across the network to a second network element, and across the second network element. A transit time of the clock synchronization message identifier is determined across each of the network elements. At the second network element, the correction field of the ingress clock synchronization message is updated with the transit times to form an egress clock synchronization message.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method implemented by a first network element, the method for distributing clock synchronization information within an optical communications network, the optical communications network including a plurality of network elements including the first network element, the method comprising:

receiving an ingress clock synchronization message by the first network element, the ingress clock synchronization message including a clock synchronization message identifier and a correction field;
inserting the clock synchronization message identifier into an optical channel frame overhead of an optical channel frame and inserting the ingress clock synchronization message into an optical channel frame payload of the optical channel frame;
transmitting the optical channel frame overhead and the optical channel frame payload across the first network element;
determining a transit time of the clock synchronization message identifier across the first network element;
inserting the transit time into the optical channel frame;
and
transmitting the optical channel frame to a second network element.

4 more elements

A method implemented by a second network element configured to process an optical channel frame including an optical channel frame overhead and an optical channel frame payload, the second network element in an optical communications network that further includes a first network element, the optical channel frame overhead including a clock synchronization message identifier, and optical channel frame payload including an ingress clock synchronization message including the clock synchronization message identifier and a correction field, and the method comprising:

receiving the optical channel frame from the first network element, the optical channel frame including a first transit time;
transmitting the optical channel frame across the second network element;
determining a second transit time of the clock synchronization message identifier across the second network element;
and
updating the correction field of the ingress clock synchronization message with a sum of the first transit time and the second transit time to form an egress clock synchronization message.

2 more elements

A second network element configured to implement a method to process an optical channel frame including an optical channel frame overhead and an optical channel frame payload, the second network element in an optical communications network that further includes a first network element, the optical channel frame overhead including a clock synchronization message identifier, and optical channel frame payload including an ingress clock synchronization message including the clock synchronization message identifier and a correction field, and the second network element comprising:

an ingress port to receive the optical channel frame from the first network element, where the optical channel frame includes a first transit time, and to transmit the optical channel frame across the second network element;
and
an egress port communicatively coupled to the ingress port, the egress port to determine a second transit time of the clock synchronization message identifier across the second network element, and to update the correction field of the ingress clock synchronization message with a sum of the first transit time and the second transit time to form an egress clock synchronization message.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Distributing clock synchronization information within an optical communications network

Life of this patent

Distributing clock synchronization information within an optical communications network

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20