Frontplane communication network between multiple pluggable modules on a single faceplate

A device comprising:

• a backplane;
• internal circuits communicatively connected to the backplane;
• one or more connectors communicatively coupled to the internal circuits and the backplane, wherein the one or more connectors are each configured to connect to a pluggable module of a plurality of pluggable modules,
• wherein the plurality of pluggable modules are configured to communicate to one another via an out-of-band channel that operates independently from the device.

A method comprising:

• operating a device with a plurality of pluggable modules;
• communicating between two or more pluggable modules of the plurality of pluggable modules via an in-band channel through the device;
• and
• communicating between the two or more pluggable modules via an out-of-band channel that operates independently from and bypasses the device.