Method and apparatus for mapping traffic using virtual concatenation

A node comprises a packet network interface, an ethernet switch, an optical port, and a distribution engine. The packet network interface is adapted to receive a packet having a destination address, a first bit and a second bit. The ethernet switch is adapted to receive and forward the packet into a virtual queue associated with a destination. The optical port has circuitry for transmitting to a plurality of circuits. The distribution engine has one or more processors configured to execute processor executable code to cause the distribution engine to (1) read a first bit and a second bit from the virtual queue, (2) provide the first bit and the second bit to the at least one optical port for transmission to a first predetermined group of the plurality of circuits.