Colorless directionless and contentionless network node

摘要

Colorless, omnidirectional, and noncompetitive nodes include combining / branching terminals with a combined wavelength selective switch (WSS) and a branch WSS. The combining and branching WSS is designed so that if the wavelength components of the optical beams received by any two of the inputs can not be simultaneously directed to one common output of the outputs, then any of the wavelength components received at any of its inputs And to selectively direct the subset to a different one of the optical outputs. The plurality of transponder ports are each optically coupled to a different output of the branch WSS and to a different input of the combined WSS.