Cisco NCS 1010 Optical Applications Configuration Guide, IOS XR Release 25.x.x

PDF

Band Failure Recovery

Updated: February 5, 2026

Overview

This topic explains the band failure recovery mechanism used in optical networks. It details how the system compensates for power transfer between C-band and L-band signals and ensures stable operation and recovery during a band failure.

A band failure recovery is a mechanism that

  • applies dual-band PSD profiles to both C-band and L-band devices to compensate for power transfer caused by Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS),

  • coordinates with agent nodes along the transmission path, and

  • manages PSD profile switching and recovery of each node in case of band failure.

Band Failure Recovery in C-band and L-band optical networks

NCS 1010 can be configured to operate in both C-band and L-band wavelengths to increase the capacity of optical fibers. This is achieved by connecting the C-band OLT or ILA line cards to the corresponding L-band OLT or ILA line cards. When C-band and L-band signals travel through the same fiber, SRS causes a transfer of optical power from higher to lower frequencies. This process alters the C-band power profile . BFR compensates for this by applying dual-band PSD profiles to both C-band and L-band devices.

The source OLT node functions as the BFR manager for all nodes in the transmit direction. Other nodes in the path act as BFR agent nodes and report to the manager. The manager node collects information from agent nodes, coordinates failure, and recovery actions.

  1. When a band fails in a C and L band network, the surviving band experiences a change in optical power due to the absence of SRS.

  2. The BFR manager sends commands to the agent nodes to switch the PSD profile on the surviving band to a single-band PSD profile.

  3. After resolving the failure, the BFR manager initiates recovery on each failed band node to ensure there is no traffic impact on the surviving band.


Enable BFR on the controller

BFR is not enabled by default. It is enabled automatically if partner band IP address and dual-band PSD configurations are present on both the C-band and L-band cards.

Before you begin

Disable link tuner and gain estimator before BFR is automatically enabled.

Procedure

1.

Enter the partner-band-port command to configure the partner band IP address.

Example:


partner-band-port ipv4 address ip-address controller Ots0/0/0/x
 
 
2.

Enter the dual-band-port command to configure the dual-band PSD profile.

Example:


dual-band-psd index value

 

For more information about these configurations, see partner-band-port and Configure APC .

BFR is enabled on the system and is operational.


View BFR status on all nodes

Procedure

Use the show olc band-status command to view the status of BFR on all the nodes.

This example shows the status of BFR on all the nodes of a controller. BFR shows a Running status. BFR applies dual band PSD to both bands.

Example:


RP/0/RP0/CPU0#show olc band-status 
Tue Dec 13 10:45:30.594 UTC
Controller              : Ots0/0/0/0
Self-Band               : C-Band
BFR status              : Running
Node RID                : 10.1.1.1
Self IP Address     : 192.0.2.1
Self Controller         : Ots0/0/0/0
Partner IP address      : 192.0.2.2
Partner Controller      : Ots0/0/0/0
Partner link status     : UP
C-Band status           : ACTIVE
C-Band PSD              : Dual Band
L-Band status           : ACTIVE
L-Band PSD              : Dual Band
Node RID                : 10.1.1.2

Self IP Address         : 192.0.2.21
Self Controller         : Ots0/0/0/0
Partner IP address      : 192.0.2.22
Partner Controller      : Ots0/0/0/2
Partner link status     : UP
C-Band status           : ACTIVE
C-Band PSD              : Dual Band
L-Band status           : ACTIVE
L-Band PSD              : Dual Band
Node RID                : 10.1.1.3
Self IP Address     : 192.0.2.31
Self Controller         : Ots0/0/0/0
Partner IP address      : 192.0.2.32
Partner Controller      : Ots0/0/0/2
Partner link status     : UP
C-Band status           : ACTIVE
C-Band PSD              : Dual Band
L-Band status           : ACTIVE
L-Band PSD              : Dual Band
Node RID                : 10.1.1.4
Self IP Address     : 192.0.2.41
Self Controller         : Ots0/0/0/0
Partner IP address      : 192.0.2.42
Partner Controller      : Ots0/0/0/0
Partner link status     : UP
C-Band status           : ACTIVE
C-Band PSD              : Dual Band
L-Band status           : ACTIVE
L-Band PSD              : Dual Band
Node RID                : 10.1.1.5
Self IP Address     : 192.0.2.51
Self Controller         : Ots0/0/0/0
Partner IP address      : 192.0.2.52
Partner Controller      : Ots0/0/0/0
Partner link status     : UP
C-Band status           : ACTIVE
C-Band PSD              : Dual Band
L-Band status           : ACTIVE
L-Band PSD              : Dual Band
                    

For more information about this command, see the show olc band-status command in the Command Reference for Cisco NCS 1010 guide.

Note

If the OLC process is restarted on OLT-CR while Raman tuning is in progress, the Partner link status might show as DOWN in the output of the show olc band-status command. The Partner link status will change to UP after Raman tuning is completed.


Pause and resume BFR on the controller

While recovering from a span failure, if one of the bands is in a failed state, BFR is not initiated, and the other band is not recovered. In these cases, you can pause BFR, initialize it, and then resume BFR to start the process and recover the other band.

Procedure

1.

Enter the bfr-pause command to pause BFR on the controller.

Example:


RP/0/RP0/CPU0:#configure
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:(config)#optical-line-control
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:(config-olc)#controller ots 0/0/0/0
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:(config-olc-ots)#bfr-pause
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:(config-olc-ots)#commit
 
2.

Enter the no bfr-pause command to resume BFR on the controller.

Example:


RP/0/RP0/CPU0:#configure
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:(config)#optical-line-control
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:(config-olc)#controller ots 0/0/0/0
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:(config-olc-ots)#no bfr-pause
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:(config-olc-ots)#commit
 

For more information about these commands, see bfr-pause in the Command Reference for Cisco NCS 1010.

Note

To upgrade from R7.9.1 to R7.10.1 or later with BFR pause enabled, before upgrading software, pause BFR on the OLT-C band using the olc bfr pause command before beginning the software upgrade. Once the upgrade is finished, pause and resume BFR using the bfr-pause configuration command on the OLT-C and OLT-L bands.

BFR is paused and resumed, which can help recover bands after a span failure.