Patent 11079559 was granted and assigned to Ciena on August, 2021 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A universal sub slot module is configured to be inserted in a slot in a hardware module that is configured to be inserted in one of a chassis and rack mounted unit. The universal sub slot module includes a printed circuit board; an optics component on the printed circuit board; a data plane and a control plane on the printed circuit board and communicatively coupled to the optics components; and connectors on the printed circuit board and communicatively coupled to the data plane and the control plane, wherein the connectors are configured to connect to corresponding connectors in the one or more hardware modules.