This part of IEC 61291 describes the optical amplifier command set (OACS) for use in
communicating with and controlling intelligent optical amplifiers. These amplifiers can receive
and possibly respond to such commands by using resident firmware or may be optical
amplifiers controlled by a microprocessor.
This standard addresses the structure and content of the command set to control optical
amplifiers. It does not cover the physical or hardware interface, which is assumed to exist for
communication of this command set to the optical amplifier. The specification of a physical
interface will be the subject of a separate Part to be developed in the IEC 61291-6 series.
The command set described in this standard is intended to enable a user or host to retrieve
the amplifier module’s status and/or adjust its settings.
This standard lists all of the commands currently defined and supported within the OACS
framework. The commands described cover a wide range of applications, and not all
commands will be applicable to every amplifier. To determine the supported commands on an
OACS compliant amplifier, please refer to the product specification supplied by the
manufacturer.
All OACS compliant amplifiers support the full set of “universal” OACS commands. Other
commands, usually specific to a design or implementation, may support some or all of the
“optional” commands.