100G Network is the future. It is believed to be overtaking all existing networks in coming times due to its ability to support better data transmission rate and more capacity. It won’t be too much surprising if 10G and 40G cabling networks are removed from the shelves at stores and only 100G rules the roost. How is it going to be possible? Will this transformation be worth the effort and cost it would incur? Let’s try to understand the need and to deploy 100G networks and talk about things that can make the deployment faster and easier.
Why deployment of 100G Cabling Network is being considered necessary
The fiber technology is growing at a phenomenal rate and it is essential because the data consumption needs are multiplying at much faster rates. Even the 10G and 40G speeds are not able to keep up with the growing demands. Ethernet network developers are thus moving to faster counterparts like 40G and 100G and, in the process, are researching on how the 100G deployment can be made easier, cost-effective as well as long-lasting. Though cost is the biggest constraint in the present times, but with growing demand, it is quite likely to come down in immediate future.
Selecting transceiver that supports 100G deployment the best
There is an array of 100G fiber transceivers available rolled out by the optical transceiver manufacturers; the very first to appear in the fiber optics market was CFP transceivers. 100G transceiver was named CFP transceiver where C stood for 100 and FP meant Form Factor Pluggable. It was available in four variants – CFP, CFP2, CFP4 and CFP28. These transceivers were costlier considering the power usage per bit. Moreover, they did not deliver any desired feature such as high density, better bandwidth etc.; on the contrary, they ate lot of space too. So, researchers continued with finding better solutions and came up with 100G QSFP28 transceiver that proved to be an economic solution to the constraints experienced with CFP transceivers. The 100G QSFP28 transceiver was a space-efficient solution too.
Benefits of using 100G QSFP28 transceivers
100 gigabit fiber optic transceiver module is, certainly, a revolution in optical fiber communication. In contrast to the CFP family, QSFP28 transceiversare space-efficient and offer four 25-Gbps lane arrangement making the migration quite an easy process. Also, the gearbox which actually contributed to the whole cost in CFP variants is done away with in 100G QSFP28 fiber optic module QSFP28 100G module can rightly be said to be the result of maturity achieved in the fiber technology and therefore, is all set to rule the optical transceiver market in coming times.
QSFP28 doubles the front-panel density and accordingly, delivers lane speeds that are increased to 25Gbps from 10Gbps. This transceiver, which is capable of accommodating 36 QSFP ports on a 1 RU switch, offers better use of the existing infrastructure. It works best with both VCSELs (for shorter distances on MMF) and silicon photonics (for longer distances on SMF).
Cabling solutions that help achieve 100G network cost-effectively
The viability of any 100G cabling solution is ascertained by the distance at which data is to be transmitted. A 100G network is not possible without an efficient cabling solution. To get an efficient support for 100G optical transceiver, one can pick from the cabling options:
Direct cabling: The 100G direct cabling solution works the best for short range networks. This cable is designed to support 100GBase-SR4 QSFP28 transceiver that delivers data connectivity up to a distance of 70m, 100m respectively. 100G QSFP28 transceivers deliver data connectivity up to 70mwith an OM3 multimode 12-fiber MTP cable; the data reach can be extended to 100m with OM4 variant of the same cable configuration. The QSFP28 optical fiber transceiver is designed to deliver very short range connectivity ranging up to 5m and 10m with passive DACs and active DACs respectively. The direct cabling solution is also permissible for 10km data reach that is possible to achieve when 100GBASE-LR4 QSFP28 optical transceiver is used with a single-mode LC patch cable.
Break out cabling
Breakout cabling is used to achieve higher bandwidth and better density at ports and practical configurability at a low cost. In a breakout cable connection, there is a QSFP28 transceiver on one side and the other side has slots for connecting to for SFP28 transceivers. This connection is similar to 40G QSFP+ breakout cable that features four single 10G duplex cables. QSFP28 to 4SFP28 cabling is available.
So, want to replace CFP module with QSFP28 transceiver? Here is how
A CFP to QSFP28 conversion fiber optic module is what you need to bring in the QSFP28 transceiver in picture. These are the steps that you need to follow to install the CFP to QSFP28 conversion module.
- Remove the transceiver using pull tab to take it out of the port.
- Preserve the transceiver securely in a sealed pack.
- Place the module as shown in the following figure and fit it into the port by sliding it along the pull tab.
(1.100 GbE CFP port, 2.CFP to QSFP28 Conversion Module, 3.100 G QSFP28 transceiver. 4. QSFP to QSFP cable)
- Insert the 100G QSFP28 transceiver into the conversion module in a secure-fit manner. The LED on the conversion module turns amber if the transceiver fits into the module correctly.
- Now attach QSFP to QSFP optical cable into the transceiver. The completion of connection is marked by green light that flashes when the link becomes active.
Conclusion
QSFP28 optical transceiver is certainly the future flag-bearer of optical fiber communication. A number of 100G Ethernet applications are being built-up to move the fiber optics world move a ladder up in the way to progress. The data center connectivity demanding higher bandwidth and port density can certainly be fed easily with QSFP28 and other 100G applications so that these can enhance the reach and connectivity strength. If you want to know more about QSFP28 optical transceiver, you should log on to www.cozlink.com where the industry approved connectivity components are available at the best price.