Network support: Protection switching for Protected Wavelength services
Protection switching is a crucial feature that help ensures your optical network remains reliable by automatically rerouting traffic to a backup path when issues arise. Lumen® Protected Wavelength service offers two straightforward ways to manage these switches manually: immediate action (Switch Now) and planned maintenance (Schedule Switch). Here's what you need to know:
How protection switching works
Modern optical networks use duplicate fiber paths (working + protect) to maintain connectivity if the primary path fails. Think of it like having a backup highway lane that opens automatically during accidents. Our system constantly monitors both paths and switches traffic seamlessly if a problem occurs.
Protection switching options
- Switch Now: Instantly moves traffic to your chosen path (from Working to Protect or from Protect to Working)
- Schedule Switch: Programs/schedules path changes for future maintenance
Important: While a protection switch usually takes less than 50ms, it can still cause a "switch hit."
