Implementations of an apparatus including an optical circuit switch (OCS) having a plurality of OCS input/output ports, at least one optical circulator having a port optically coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of OCS input/output ports and a reflection mitigation positioned in the optical path between each optical circulator port and its corresponding OCS input/output port and/or in the optical path inside the OCS. A corresponding optical transceiver is optically coupled to each of the at least one optical circulators. Each optical transceiver includes a transmitter optically coupled to one port of the optical circulator and a receiver optically coupled to another port of the optical circulator.