Abstract: An API including an interrupt handler registration function and one or more interrupt dispatchers, is provided to an optical networking apparatus to facilitate registration of interrupt handlers to handle interrupts triggered by the function blocks of multi-protocol optical networking modules (MPONM). Each registered interrupt handler may handle interrupts triggered by one or more function blocks of any of the MPONM, and/or for one or more cause. In one embodiment, the one or more interrupt dispatchers are equipped to determine the triggering function block and the cause, and determine the interrupt handlers, if any, are to be notified. Each of the interrupt handlers to be notified is notified accordingly, including the triggering function block and the cause.