Setting signal-power thresholds on nodes in a communications network

1. Non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method in a communications network for setting signal-power-received threshold values on one or more nodes in the communications network, the method comprising:

via a computing device, calculating a transmit-power level for a segment of the communications network based on design specifications for the communications network;

determining a maximum and a minimum signal-power-received threshold for the segment using the transmit-power level;

specifying an alarm condition for performance of the segment based on the maximum and minimum signal-power-received thresholds for the segment; adjusting a sensitivity of the alarm condition based on the performance of the segment by expanding a range of the maximum and minimum signal-power-received thresholds when actual performance of the communications network is better than expected based on the design specifications or decreasing a range of the signal-power-received thresholds when actual performance of the communications network is poorer than expected based on the design specifications;

via the computing device, setting the signal-power-received thresholds for the segment on one or more nodes in the segment;

detecting a change to one of the plurality of nodes in the segment, now an altered segment;

automatically calculating new signal-power-received thresholds for the altered segment; and

setting the new signal-power-received thresholds on the altered segment.

2. The media of claim 1 , further comprising;

receiving a selection of a communications route in a communications network;

communicating with a route-terminating node to identify one or more nodes on the route, wherein the route-terminating node is a node at an endpoint of the route;

receiving a selection of one of the one or more nodes on the route;

identifying the segment of the route that contains the node, wherein the segment is a portion of the route that includes two nodes that are segment-terminating nodes and all nodes therebetween, and wherein the segment-terminating node is a node at an endpoint of the segment; and

presenting a list of one or more nodes included in the segment.

3. The media of claim 2 , further comprising;

via the computing device, calculating a number of spans between the one or more nodes included in the segment, wherein the span is a direct connection between two of the nodes; and

via the computing device, calculating a number of channels transmitted over the segment.

4. The media of claim 3 , wherein calculating the transmit-power level is also based on the number of spans and the number of channels.

5. The media of claim 2 , further comprising;

collecting one or more current signal power input and output levels from the one or more nodes on the segment; and

presenting the one or more current signal power input and output levels from the one or more nodes on the segment to a user.

6. The media of claim 1 , wherein the communications network is a fiber-optics communications network and the signal-power-received threshold is a light-power-received threshold.

7. The media of claim 1 , wherein the segment includes communications in two directions and a signal-power-received threshold is calculated for each direction.

8. The media of claim 1 , wherein the segment includes a primary and a secondary set of two or more nodes connected in series, and wherein the signal-power-received threshold is calculated, adjusted, and set for each of the primary and secondary sets of two or more nodes connected in series.

9. The media of claim 1 , wherein the signal-power-received threshold is automatically updated on a periodic basis.

10. The media of claim 1 , wherein setting the signal-power-received threshold for the segment on one or more nodes in the segment comprises communicating the signal-power-received threshold to each of the one or more nodes in the segment via a telecommunications network (Telnet) connection.

11. A system in a communications network for setting signal-power-received thresholds, the system comprising:

a node-identifying component that identifies two or more nodes on a route in the communications network that comprise a segment of the route, and identifies a number of spans between the two or more nodes and a number of channels transmitted over the segment, wherein the segment includes two terminating nodes that comprise endpoints of the segment and all nodes therebetween, and wherein the span is a connection between two consecutive nodes of the segment;

the node-identifying component that detects a change to the one or more nodes in the segment, now an altered segment;

a threshold-calculating engine that calculates a signal-power-received threshold range for the segment based on the number of spans, the number of channels, and one or more design specifications for the segment, the signal-power-received range including a maximum signal-power-received threshold and a minimum signal-power-received threshold;

the threshold-calculating engine that automatically calculates new signal-power-received thresholds for the altered segment;

a threshold-setting tool that sets the signal-power-received threshold range on the one or more nodes in the segment and that automatically periodically updates the signal-power-received threshold range based on performance of the segment, the threshold-setting tool communicating the signal-power-received range to a first node on the segment via a telecommunications network, and the first node communicating the signal-power-received range to one or more remaining nodes on the segment; and

the threshold-setting tool that sets the new signal-power-received thresholds on the altered segment.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the threshold-calculating engine modifies the maximum and the minimum signal-power-received thresholds by

increasing the maximum signal-power-received threshold and decreasing the minimum signal-power-received threshold when an actual performance of the communications network is better than expected based on the design specifications, or

decreasing the maximum signal-power-received threshold and increasing the minimum signal-power-received threshold when the actual performance of the communications network is poorer than expected based on the design specifications.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the design specifications include one or more tables that specify signal power transmit levels based on a number of spans and a number of channels, a minimum power loss for a given number of spans, and a maximum power loss for the given number of spans.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the threshold-calculating engine determines a specified signal power transmit level, a minimum power loss and a maximum power loss for a given segment, and wherein the threshold-calculation engine

subtracts the minimum power loss from the specified signal power transmit level to calculate a maximum signal-power-received threshold, and

subtracts the maximum power loss from the specified signal power transmit level to calculate a minimum signal-power-received threshold.

15. Non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for setting signal-power-received threshold values in a fiber-optic communications network, the method comprising:

determining a number of spans between terminating nodes of a segment of the fiber-optic communications network, wherein a terminating node is a node at an endpoint of the segment and the span is a connection between two consecutive nodes of the segment;

determining a number of channels being transmitted over the segment; based on the number of spans, the number of channels, and one or more design specifications of the fiber-optic communications network, identifying a signal transmission power level setpoint; based on the number of spans and the one or more design specifications of the fiber-optic communications network, identifying a maximum and a minimum allowable signal power loss for the segment;

via a computing device, calculating a maximum and a minimum signal-power-received threshold for the segment, the maximum and minimum signal-power-received thresholds defining an operating range, operation of the segment outside of which results in an alarm;

adjusting the sensitivity of the alarm by adjusting the maximum and minimum signal-power-received thresholds for the segment based on historical performance of the segment;

via the computing device, setting the maximum and minimum signal-power-received thresholds for the segment on a plurality of nodes in the segment using a telecommunications network connection to each of the plurality of nodes in the segment;

detecting a change to one of the plurality of nodes in the segment, now an altered segment;

automatically calculating new signal-power-received thresholds for the altered segment; and

setting the new signal-power-received thresholds on the altered segment.

16. The media of claim 15 , wherein adjusting the maximum and minimum signal-power-received thresholds for the segment comprises

increasing the maximum signal-power-received threshold and decreasing the minimum signal-power-received threshold when an actual performance of the communications network is better than expected based on the design specifications, or

decreasing the maximum signal-power-received threshold and increasing the minimum signal-power-received threshold when the actual performance of the communications network is poorer than expected based on the design specifications.

17. The media of claim 15 , wherein calculating a maximum and a minimum signal-power-received threshold for the segment comprises

subtracting the minimum allowable signal power loss for the segment from the transmission power level setpoint to calculate the maximum signal-power-received threshold, and

subtracting the maximum allowable signal power loss for the segment from the transmission power level setpoint to calculate the minimum signal-power-received threshold.