Embodiments of the invention generally provide a method for automatically
detecting and provisioning new optical connections in a network element (NE). The
detection of the optical connections is generally accomplished via optical scans,
and in particular, an optical spectral analysis type scan, which may be conducted
at specific times and at specific points within the NE in order to determine an
association corresponding to a new connection through the NE. The automatic detecting
in provisioning method of the invention may generally be implemented on connections
in end terminals (ET), as well as connections in optical add/drop multiplexer (OADM)
NEs. As such, embodiments of the invention allow for automatic detection and provisioning
of optical circuit packs in an optical line system (OLS) based upon optical scans
configured to detect the presence of valid incoming client signals through the NE.
