A dynamically reconfigurable optical switching system serves as a node on a fiber optic telecommunication network. The optical switching node utilizes an optical switching fabric, a switching device with multiple input ports and multiple output ports that can be controlled to direct a signal from a particular input port to a particular output port. The switching fabric is connected to optical components such as wavelength demultiplexers, wavelength multiplexers, and optical signal conditioners such as amplifiers, wavelength shifters, and signal correctors. The switching fabric is controlled via a switching node controller that includes an electrical connection to a network management infrastructure. The system architecture allows an incoming optical signal to be directed through any desired combination of optical components via multiple traversals of the switching fabric.