1. In an optical networking apparatus having one or more multi-protocol optical networking modules (MPONM), each having a multi-protocol processor and a plurality of physical layer components, a method of operation comprising: a networking application invoking a module initialization function configured to create a first and a second module data structure corresponding to each of a first and second selected ones of the one or more MPONM; receiving by the networking application from the module initialization function, a first and a second handle pointing to the respective first and second module data structures; saving by the networking application the first and the second handles; retrieving by the networking application the first handle to invoke a first function of an MPONM application programming interface (API) to cause a first operation to be performed within the multi-protocol processor of the first selected one of the one or more MPONM; retrieving by the networking application the second handle to invoke a second function of the MPONM API to cause a second operation to be performed within at least a first selected one of the physical layer components of the second selected one of the one or more MPONM; and requesting by the networking application a third function of the MPONM API to cause a third operation to be performed, the third operation being performed within a second selected one of the physical layer components of a third selected one of the one or more MPONM, wherein the second selected one of the physical layer components of the third selected one of the one or more MPONM is a laser of the third selected one of the one or more MPONM, and wherein the third operation causes the laser to be enabled or disabled.