This paper surveys and analyzes the GMPLS extensions proposed for synchronous slotted optical packet switching (OPS) networks, from the point of view their impact on the switching node design. First, we examine the state-of-the-art in a set of GMPLS-aware functions. In the optical side, we focus on label coding and detection techniques. In the electronic side, we concentrate on ingress traffic buffering, packet assembly, scheduling and forwarding table lookup. Then, we discuss the existing techniques, and comparatively assess their feasibility and practical implementation for the different GMPLS proposals investigated. The traffic engineering capabilities of the different GMPLS solutions are then balanced to their impact on the node cost