In a photonic network, signals are degraded by passing through amplifiers. A maximum number of amplifiers may be traversed before regeneration is necessary. Regeneration (typically carried out in an optical cross-connect) involves relatively expensive hardware and is to be avoided if possible. An algorithm...http://www.google.com/patents/US6757494?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6757494 - Wavelength routing in a photonic network
