Ethernet switch interface for use in optical nodes

Switch and MAC layer components are located at a headend and PHY layer components for connecting a plurality of end-user devices are located remotely at nodes. Using SSMII technology, MAC layer ports can communicate with an equal number of PHY layer interface ports serially. Thus, the MAC layer connects to the PHY layer via fiber links, a separate link being used for each direction of traffic data flow. Information data is encoded along with a frame sync signal and a clock signal into a serial stream for transmission across the network. The serial stream is decoded at the other end, and the frame sync signal is extracted to provided timing functionality. This allows full duplex operation with the MAC layer separated from the PHY layer at distances greater than a few inches. Also, user device status may be monitored at the single switch location.