Optical networking module including protocol processing and unified software control

A multi-protocol processor comprising:

• a plurality of I/O interfaces to facilitate selective optical-electrical trafficking of data transmitted in accordance with a selected one of a plurality of datacom and telecom protocols;
• a plurality of data link and physical sub-layer processing units selectively coupled to each other and to the I/O interfaces to be selectively employed in combination to perform selected data link and physical sub-layer processing on egress as well as ingress ones of said data, in accordance with said selected one of said plurality of protocols;
• a utility interface to facilitate management of one or more aspects of at least a selected one of an optical and an optical-electrical component to be used in tandem with said multi-protocol processor in forming a singular integrated optical networking module;
• and
• a control function unit coupled to said I/O interfaces, said processing units, and said utility interface to facilitate management of said multi-protocol processor, and said one or more aspects of at least a selected one of said optical and optical-electrical components through said multi-protocol processor, by external software control functions.

An optical networking module product set comprising:

• an integrated module having
• an optical component to send and receive optical signals encoded with data transmitted in accordance with a selected one of a plurality of protocols,
• an optical-electrical component coupled to the optical component to encode digital data onto optical signals and to decode encoded digital data on optical signals back into their digital forms,
• supporting control electronics coupled to said optical and optical-electrical components to manage said optical and optical-electrical components,
• a protocol processor ASIC coupled to the optical-electrical component, the optical component and the supporting control electronics to perform data link and physical sub-layer processing on egress as well as ingress ones of said data in accordance with said selected one of said plurality of protocols, said protocol processor ASIC including interfaces in support of external software control functions for managing said protocol processor ASIC and at least partially one of said optical and optical-electrical components through said interfaces and said supporting control electronics, and
• a body encasing said optical component, said optical-electrical component, and said protocol processor ASIC as a single module;
• and
• said external software control functions to be employed to program a host processor of the integrated module to manage said protocol processor ASIC, and said optical and optical-electrical components through said protocol processor ASIC and said supporting control electronics.