An apparatus, comprising: a first optical transceiver having: a plurality of optical transmitters (106...106(n)), an optical multiplexer operatively coupled to the plurality of optical transmitters, and a variable optical attenuator operatively coupled to the optical multiplexer, the variable optical attenuator configured to receive a control signal from a controller of the first optical transceiver, the variable optical attenuator configured to modulate a first signal representing first control information with an output from the optical multiplexer to produce a first plurality of modulated optical signals, the first control information associated with the control signal, the variable optical attenuator configured to send the first plurality of modulated optical signals to a second optical transceiver operatively coupled to the first optical transceiver causing the second optical transceiver to manage or configure the second optical transceiver based on the first control information in response to receiving the first plurality of modulated optical signals, the first optical transceiver is configured to receive a plurality of encoded optical signals from the second optical transceiver, the first optical transceiver is configured to decode at least one encoded optical signal from the plurality of encoded optical signals to produce a second signal representing second control information associated with an operational status of the second optical transceiver, wherein the second optical transceiver is included within a plurality of optical transceivers operatively coupled to the first optical transceiver, the first optical transceiver is configured to send the first signal to each optical transceiver from the plurality of optical transceivers, the first control information has a plurality of control information portions, each control information portion from the plurality of control information portions is associated with an optical transceiver from the plurality of optical transceivers and not associated with at least one optical transceiver from the plurality of optical transceivers. a first optical transceiver having: a plurality of optical transmitters (106...106(n)), an optical multiplexer operatively coupled to the plurality of optical transmitters, and a variable optical attenuator operatively coupled to the optical multiplexer, a plurality of optical transmitters (106...106(n)), an optical multiplexer operatively coupled to the plurality of optical transmitters, and a variable optical attenuator operatively coupled to the optical multiplexer, the variable optical attenuator configured to receive a control signal from a controller of the first optical transceiver, the variable optical attenuator configured to modulate a first signal representing first control information with an output from the optical multiplexer to produce a first plurality of modulated optical signals, the first control information associated with the control signal, the variable optical attenuator configured to send the first plurality of modulated optical signals to a second optical transceiver operatively coupled to the first optical transceiver causing the second optical transceiver to manage or configure the second optical transceiver based on the first control information in response to receiving the first plurality of modulated optical signals, the first optical transceiver is configured to receive a plurality of encoded optical signals from the second optical transceiver, the first optical transceiver is configured to decode at least one encoded optical signal from the plurality of encoded optical signals to produce a second signal representing second control information associated with an operational status of the second optical transceiver, wherein the second optical transceiver is included within a plurality of optical transceivers operatively coupled to the first optical transceiver, the first optical transceiver is configured to send the first signal to each optical transceiver from the plurality of optical transceivers, the first control information has a plurality of control information portions, each control information portion from the plurality of control information portions is associated with an optical transceiver from the plurality of optical transceivers and not associated with at least one optical transceiver from the plurality of optical transceivers.