Guide to 40 Gigabit Ethernet Options
Data centers regularly undertake their own great migration from 10G to 40G , 100G and even higher speed networks. 40 Gigabit Ethernet is a standard that enables the transfer of Ethernet frames at speeds of up to 40 gigabits per second (Gbps), allowing 40 Gigabit Ethernet-enabled equipment to handle traffic at the aggregation and core layers. A right and cost-effective solution for 40 Gigabit Ethernet is very necessary in data center communications. The 40GbE transceiver options and cabling options will be introduced in this article.
As with any new generation of technology, one design goal was to leverage as much existing technology as possible. By minimizing the number of new interfaces, the interfaces become less expensive and take advantage of volume production and simplicity. To meet this design goal, there are three media modules will be used in the first generation of 40 Gigabit Ethernet: QSFP, CXP and CFP.
QSFP
The Quad Small-Form-Factor Pluggable (QSFP) is similar in size to the CXP and provides four transmit and four receive lanes to support 40 Gigabit Ethernet applications for multimode fiber and copper today and may serve single-mode in the future. Another future role for the QSFP may be to serve 100 Gigabit Ethernet when lane rates increase to 25 Gbps.
CXP
The CXP transceiver features 12 transmit and 12 receive 10-Gbps lanes to support one 100 Gigabit Ethernet port, or up to three 40 Gigabit Ethernet ports. It can achieve rates up to 120 Gbps of pluggable data over 12 lanes in one assembly while enhanced-footprint connectors transmit signals over 10 lanes for up to 100 Gbps.
CFP
The C Form-Factor Pluggable (CFP) is a new media module that was designed for longer-reach applications, with up to 24 watts of power dissipation. Its dense electrical connectors and integrated, riding heat sink enable a range of interfaces. This module is used for 40GBASE-SR4, 40GBASE-LR4.
Cables used in 40 Gigabit Ethernet mainly include passive and active direct attach copper cables and active optical cable (AOC). The QSFP+ passive or active direct attach copper cables are designed with twinax copper cable and terminated with QSFP+ connectors. For instance, Cisco QSFP-H40G-CU1M compatible QSFP+ to QSFP+ passive copper cable is suitable for very short distances and offer a very cost-effective way to establish a 40-gigabit link between QSFP port and SFP+ port of Cisco switches within racks and across adjacent racks. The main difference between passive QSFP+ DAC and active QSFP+ DAC is that the passive one is without the active component. AOC is used for short-range multi-lane data communication and interconnect applications. It uses electrical-to-optical conversion on the cable ends to improve speed and distance performance of the cable without sacrificing compatibility with standard electrical interfaces.
Fiberstore offers a comprehensive solution for 40 Gigabit Ethernet. We have a wide range of 40G optical transceivers which are 100% compatible with many famous brands, like Mellanox QSFP+ (MC2210411-SR4), Finisar QSFP+ (FTL410QE2C), etc. Besides, we also provide high-quality and cost-effective cables such as QSFP+ cable, MTP trunk cable, LC to MTP jumpers, etc.