Network-based data transport architecture

An integrated circuit including at least one apparatus for transporting data in a network-based data communication system, the at least one apparatus comprising:

• a first network node comprising:
• a first port couplable to at least a second network node for transferring data in a first format between the first and second network nodes;
• and
• a processor operatively coupled to the first port, the processor being configurable to at least one of receive one or more frames of data and transmit one or more frames of data, the frames of data using only a subset of a standard overhead processing portion when transferred between the first and second network nodes, the processor being configured such that utilizing only the subset of the overhead processing portion of the one or more data frames enables one or more functional blocks to be eliminated from the network-based data communication system, the one or more functional blocks being otherwise required for implementing substantially all of the overhead processing portion of the one or more data frames.