Author Archives: Chloe Wang

400G ZR & ZR+ – New Generation of Solutions for Longer-reach Optical Communications

400G ZR and ZR+ coherent pluggable optics have become new solutions for high-density networks with data rates from 100G to 400G featuring low power and small space. Let’s see how the latest generation of 400G ZR and 400G ZR+ optics extends the economic benefits to meet the requirements of network operators, maximizes fiber utilization, and reduces the cost of data transport.

400G ZR & ZR+: Definitions

What Is 400G ZR?

400G ZR coherent optical modules are compliant with the OIF-400ZR standard, ensuring industry-wide interoperability. They provide 400Gbps of optical bandwidth over a single optical wavelength using DWDM (dense wavelength division multiplexing) and higher-order modulation such as 16 QAM. Implemented predominantly in the QSFP-DD form factor, 400G ZR will serve the specific requirement for massively parallel data center interconnect of 400GbE with distances of 80-120km. To learn more about 400G transceivers: How Many 400G Transceiver Types Are in the Market?

Overview of 400G ZR+

ZR+ is a range of coherent pluggable solutions with line capacities up to 400Gbps and reaches well beyond 80km supporting various application requirements. The specific operational and performance requirements of different applications will determine what types of 400G ZR+ coherent plugs will be used in networks. Some applications will take advantage of interoperable, multi-vendor ecosystems defined by standards body or MSA specifications and others will rely on the maximum performance achievable in the constraints of a pluggable module package. Four categories of 400G ZR+ applications will be explained in the following part.

400G ZR & ZR+: Applications

400G ZR – Application Scenario

The arrival of 400G ZR modules has ushered in a new era of DWDM technology marked by open, standards based, and pluggable DWDM optics, enabling true IP-over-DWDM. 400G ZR is often applied for point-to-point DCI (up to 80km), making the task of interconnecting data centers as simple as connecting switches inside a data center (as shown below).

Figure 1: 400G ZR Applied in Single-span DCI

Four Primary Deployment Applications for 400G ZR+

Extended-reach P2P Packet

One definition of ZR+ is a straightforward extension of 400G ZR transcoded mappings of Ethernet with a higher performance FEC to support longer reaches. In this case, 400G ZR+ modules are narrowly defined as supporting a single-carrier 400Gbps optical line rate and transporting 400GbE, 2x 200GbE or 4x 100GbE client signals for point-to-point reaches (up to around 500km). This solution is specifically dedicated to packet transport applications and destined for router platforms.

Multi-span Metro OTN

Another definition of ZR+ is the inclusion of support for OTN, such as client mapping and multiplexing into FlexO interfaces. This coherent pluggable solution is intended to support the additional requirements of OTN networks, carry both Ethernet and OTN clients, and address transport in multi-span ROADM networks. This category of 400G ZR+ is required where demarcation is important to operators, and is destined primarily for multi-span metro ROADM networks.

Figure 2: 400G ZR+ Applied in Multi-span Metro OTN

Multi-span Metro Packet

The third definition of ZR+ is support for extended reach Ethernet or packet transcoded solution that is further optimized for critical performance such as latency. This 400G ZR+ coherent pluggable with high performance FEC and sophisticated coding algorithms supports the longest reach over 1000km multi-span metro packet transport.

Figure 3: 400G ZR+ Applied in Multi-span Metro Packet

Multi-span Metro Regional OTN

The fourth definition of ZR+ supports both Ethernet and OTN clients. This coherent pluggable also leverages high performance FEC and PCS, along with tunable optical filters and amplifiers for maximum reach. It supports a rich feature set of OTN network functions for deployment over both fixed and flex-grid line systems. This category of 400G ZR+ provides solutions with higher performance to address a much wider range of metro/regional packet networking requirements.

400G ZR & ZR+: What Makes Them Suitable for Longer-reach Transmission in Data Center?

Coherent Technology Adopted by 400G ZR & ZR+

Coherent technology uses the three degrees of freedom (amplitude, phase and polarization of light) to focus more data on the wave that is being transmitted. In this way, coherent optics can transport more data over a single fiber for greater distances using higher order modulation techniques, which results in better spectral efficiency. 400G ZR and ZR+ is a leap forward in the application of coherent technology. With higher-order modulation and DWDM unlocking high bandwidth, 400G ZR and ZR+ modules can reduce cost and complexity for high-level data center interconnects.

Importance of 400G ZR & ZR+

400G ZR and 400G ZR+ coherent pluggable optics take implementation challenges to the next level by adding some of the elements for high-performance solutions while pushing component design for low-power, pluggability, and modularity.

Conclusion

Although there are still many challenges to making 400G ZR and 400G ZR+ transceiver modules that fit into the small size and power budget of OSFP or QSFP-DD packages and also achieving interoperation as well the costs and volume targets. With 400Gbps high optical bandwidth and low power consumption, 400G ZR & ZR+ may very well be the new generation in longer-reach optical communications.

Original Source: 400G ZR & ZR+ – New Generation of Solutions for Longer-reach Optical Communications

400G OSFP Transceiver Types Overview

OSFP stands for Octal Small Form-factor Pluggable, which consists of 8 electrical lanes, running at 50Gb/s each, for a total of the bandwidth of 400Gb/s. This post will give an introduction of 400G OSFP transceiver types, the fiber connections, and some QAs about OSFP.

400G OSFP Transceiver Types

Below lists some current main 400G OSFP transceiver types: OSFP SR8, OSFP DR4, OSFP DR4+, OSFP FR4, OSFP 2*FR4, and OSFP LR4, which summarize OSFP transceiver according to the two transmission types (over multimode fiber and single-mode fiber) they support.

Fibers Connections for 400G OSFP Transceivers

400G OSFP SR8

Connect a 400G OSFP SR8 transceiver with another 400G OSFP SR8 transceiver over an MTP-16/MPO-16 cable.

400G OSFP SR8 to 2× 200G SR4 over MTP-16 to 2× MPO-8 breakout cable.

400G OSFP SR8 to 8× 50G SFP via MTP-16 to 8× LC duplex breakout cable with up to 100m.

400G OSFP DR4

400G OSFP DR4 to 400G OSFP DR4 over an MTP-12/MPO-12 cable.
400G OSFP DR4 to 4× 100G DR4 over MTP-12/MPO-12 to 4× LC duplex breakout cable.

400G OSFP XDR4/DR4+

400G OSFP DR4+ to 400G OSFP DR4+ over an MTP-12/MPO-12 cable.
400G OSFP DR4+ to 4× 100G DR over MTP-12/MPO-12 to 4× LC duplex breakout cable.

400G OSFP FR4

400G OSFP FR4 to 400G OSFP FR4 over duplex LC cable.

400G OSFP 2FR4

OSFP 2FR4 can break out to 2× 200G and interop with 2× 200G-FR4 QSFP transceivers via 2× CS to 2× LC duplex cable.

400G OSFP Transceivers: Q&A

Q: What does “SR8”, “DR4”, “XDR4”, “FR4”, and “LR4” mean?

A: “SR” refers to short range, and “8” implies there are 8 optical channels. “DR” refers to 500m reach using single-mode fiber, and “4” implies there are 4 optical channels. “XDR4” is short for “eXtended reach DR4”. And “LR” refers to 10km reach using single-mode fiber.

Q: Can I plug an OSFP transceiver module into a QSFP-DD port?

A: No. QSFP-DD and OSFP are totally different form factors. For more information about QSFP-DD transceivers, you can refer to 400G QSFP-DD Transceiver Types Overview. You can use only one kind of form factor in the corresponding system. E.g., if you have an OSFP system, OSFP transceivers and cables must be used.

Q: Can I plug a 100G QSFP28 module into an OSFP port?

A: Yes. A QSFP28 module can be inserted into an OSFP port but with an adapter. When using a QSFP28 module in an OSFP port, the OSFP port must be configured for a data rate of 100G instead of 400G.

Q: What other breakout options are possible apart from using OSFP modules mentioned above?

A: OSFP 400G DACs & AOCs are possible for breakout 400G connections. See 400G Direct Attach Cables (DAC & AOC) Overview for more information about 400G DACs & AOCs.

Original Source: 400G OSFP Transceiver Types Overview

PCI vs PCI Express: What’s the Difference?

What Does PCI Vs PCI Express Stands for?

What Is PCI?

PCI, also called peripheral component interconnect, is a connection interface standard developed by Intel in 1990. Originally, it was only used in servers. Later on from 1995 to 2005, the PCI was widely implemented in computer and other network equipment like network switch. Most commonly, PCI is used as the PCI-based expansion card to insert into the PCI slot in a motherboard of a host or server. In the expansion card market, the popular PCI expansion cards are NIC card or network interface card, graphics card, and sound card.

What Is PCI Express?

Figure 1: PCI Express Network Card

PCI Express, also abbreviated as PCIe, refers to the peripheral component interconnect express. As the successor of PCI, PCI Express is also a type of connection standard carried out by Intel in 2001, which provides more bandwidth and is more compatible with existing operating systems than PCI. Similar like PCI, PCIe also can be used as expansion cards like PCIe Ethernet card to insert into PCI Express slot.

Comparison of PCI Vs PCI Express

As the replacement of PCI, PCI Express differs with it in several aspects, such as working topology and bandwidth. In this part, a brief comparison of PCI Vs PCI Express will be made.

PCI Vs PCI Express in Working Topology: PCI is a parallel connection, and devices connected to the PCI bus appear to be a bus master to connect directly to its own bus. While PCIe card is a high-speed serial connection. Instead of one bus that handles data from multiple sources, PCIe has a switch that controls several point-to-point serial connections.

Figure 2: PCI Vs PCI Express

PCI Vs PCI Express in Bandwidth: Generally, the fixed widths for PCI are 32-bit and 64-bit versions, running at 33 MHz or 66 MHz. 32 bits with 33 MHz, the potential bandwidth is 133 MB/s, 266 MB/s for 66 MHz, and 532 MB/s for 64 bits with 66 MHz. As for PCIe card, the bandwidth varies from 250 MB/s to several GB/s per lane, depending on its card size and version. For more detail, you can refer to the post: PCIe Card Tutorial: What Is PCIe Card and How to Choose It?

PCI Vs PCI Express in Others: With PCI Express, a maximum of 32 end-point devices can be connected. And they support hot plugging. While hot-plugging function is not available for PCI, it can only support a maximum of 5 devices.

FAQs About PCI Vs PCI Express

1. Is the speed for PCI slower than PCI Express?

Sure, the speed for PCIe is faster than PCI. Take the PCIe x1 as an example, it is at least 118% faster than PCI. It’s more obvious when you compare the PCIe-based video card with a PCI video card, the PCIe video card x16 type is almost 29 times faster than PCI video card.

2. Can PCI cards work in PCIe slots?

The answer is no. PCIe and PCI are not compatible with each other due to their different configurations. In most cases, there are both PCI and PCIe slots on the motherboard, so please fit the card into its matching slot and do not misuse the two types.

3. What is a PCIe slot?

PCIe slot refers to the physical size of PCI Express. By and large, there are four slot types: x16, x8, x4, and x1. The more the slot number, the longer the PCIe will be. For example, PCIe x1 is 25 mm in length, while PCIe x16 is 89 mm.

Summary

In this post, we make a comparison in PCI Vs PCI Express from their origin, working mode to their bandwidth, etc. In the final part, there are several frequently asked questions listed for your information. Hope this post will give you some inspiration in telling PCI Vs PCI Express.

Buy PoE Switch: Five Aspects to Consider

A PoE switch (Power over Ethernet) is a network switch that carries data along with power over Ethernet network cables like Cat5 or Cat6. And Gigabit PoE switch is often found in IP camera systems in home or business networks due to its low maintenance costs, less downtime, easy installation, etc. Since there are various articles telling you how to buy PoE switch, here I just explore five parameters as a reference when buying PoE network switch. No matter buy 8-port, 16-port, 24-port PoE gigabit switch, the following five parameters are necessary to consider.

PoE-switch, PoE switch gigabit

PoE Switch Stacking

Switch stacking is a common technology in network design. It offers a good solution for network designers to maximize scalability and optimize performance of networks at the same time. Therefore, when it comes to buying gigabit PoE switch, many users will take this parameter into consideration. But not all PoE switches are created equal. Most Cisco PoE switches support stacking. That’s one reason why Cisco PoE switches are more popular than others even if their price is several times higher than other similar PoE switches. However, if buying PoE switch for home or small size networks, there is no need to seek for stacking functions by spending extra money.

Acoustic Noise from Fan

Since PoE switches, especially 8-port, 16-port, and even 24 port PoE switch, are often used at home or office, the acoustic noise can be placed an important role when buying PoE gigabit switch. Because it’s really a bad experience if the PoE Gigabit switch near to you is buzzing all the time. Different PoE switch comes with different acoustic value. Still take Cisco 24-port PoE switch SFE2000P as an example. This 24-port PoE gigabit switch may cause 50dB noise at the maximum, which like a person speaking to you without stopping. Of course, many vendors like FS.COM and Cisco, have supplied fanless PoE switch to offer a better usage experience for users.

Transmission Distance of PoE Switch

In some applications, administrators have to deploy PoE switch up to 250m. Generally speaking, PoE switches can extend the transmission distance of data and power up to 100m via Cat5 or Cat5e network cables, which is enough for home or office applications. In this condition, a PoE repeater can deal with it perfectly. With one PoE repeater, the transmission distance can be added to 100 meters.

Numbers of Power Supply

In the PoE gigabit switch market, there are two types power supplies: a single power and dual power. Usually dual power is designed for power redundancy. When one of the DC power inputs has failed, the other will be triggered and working for the switch. Does it mean dual power is necessary for PoE network switch? May not be. Considering the power redundancy, most vendors have strengthened their switch power supply, which can support the switch working for years. And some switches like Cisco catalyst 3850 series PoE switches offer dual power supplies, but it requires extra order to get it working.

Airflow Direction

This factor is often considered by those who have or work in data centers or service room where have numbers of network switches. Generally there are three types of airflow of network switch: back-to-front, front-to-back and side-to-side. Keep in mind to consider this factors when buying PoE switch, especially buy 48-port PoE gigabit switches that are often used for enterprise networks. There are examples in tech forum that some users ignore the airflow direction of the network switch, which causes the switch fans drawing air from its hot air exhaust.

Buy PoE Switch With FS.COM

So where to buy PoE switch is not an easy decision. Both the switch price and functions are needed to be taken into consideration. FS.COM offers PoE managed switches with different ports like 8-port, 24-port and 48-port. All of them are compatible with IEEE802.3af/at. And professional buying advice is also provided if need. Welcome to visit www.fs.com for more details.

How to Deploy 48 Port 10GE Switch in Data Center?

10 Gigabit network becomes popular as the business is growing, which enhance the deployment of 10G copper or SFP+ switches in data centers. With the rapid evolvement of IoT (Internet of things), cloud computing and other media-rich applications such as Skype, Amazon video, Snapchat and Youtube, the shift from 10G network to 40G has become the new trend. In this process, 10GbE switch with 40G QSFP+ uplink port makes a difference. In this post, the applications of 48 port 10GE switch for data center design will be explored.

Overview on Popular 48 Port 10GE Switch

10GE switch provides high-density 10GE access to help enterprises and carriers build a scalable data center network platform in the cloud computing era. When it comes to 48 port 10GE network switches, Cisco 10GE SFP+ switches maybe the first choice that many users prefer. However, not all network vendors will choose Cisco switches due to their high price. And there are various types of 10 Gigabit switch in the market for network designers to choose from. The table below shows the main details of several 48 port 10GE switches that can be used as ToR or leaf switches in data centers. Network designers can take it as a reference when choosing 10GbE SFP switch.

10GE Switch Mode	Port	Switching Capacity	Forwarding Rate	Typical/Max. Power	Price
Cisco Nexus 3172PQ	48 SFP+ Port & 6 QSFP+ Port	1.4Tbps	1 bpps	206W/293W	$14339
Arista 7050SX-72Q	48 SFP+ Port & 6 QSFP+ Port	1.44Tbps	1080Mpps	127W/251W	$21,295
Dell S4810	48 SFP+ Port & 6 QSFP+ Port	1.28Tbps	960Mpps	220W/350W	$11334
Huawei CE6851-48S6Q-HI	48 SFP+ Port & 4 QSFP+ Port	1.44Tbps	1080Mpps	216W/245W	$6,783
FS.COM S5850-48S6Q	48 SFP+ Port & 6 QSFP+ Port	1.44Tbps	1070Mpps	150W/190W	$3,999

Deploy 48 Port 10GE ToR/Leaf 10GE Switch in Different Size Network Applications

To illustrate how to design the 48 port 10GE switch in practical applications, here take FS.COM S5850-48S6Q ToR/Leaf 10GE switch as an example.

Data Center Applications

48 port 10GE switches are often used as leaf switches in large data center design. In today’s data center, leaf-spine topology and ToR design are the commonly used architectures. And ToR switches are used as leaf switches and they are connected to the spine switches. Just as the following picture shows, FS.COM S5850-48S6Q 10GE switches work as ToR switches and connected to the spine switches (FS.COM 100G switches) using the 40G/10G port.

48-port 10ge switches

Campus network Applications

Of course, 48 port 10GE switch also can act as aggregation or core switches for enterprise campus networks. In the following application diagram, FS.COM S5850-48S6Q 10GE switches work as aggregation switches and connected to 40G core switches and gigabit switch.

48 port 10ge aggregation switches

Scaling Network with 40G Uplink Port on 48 Port 10GE Switch

For a spine-leaf network, usually the uplinks from leaf to spine are 10G or 40G, and they can migrate over time from a starting point of 10G (Nx10G) to 40G (or Nx40G). The 48 port 10GE ToR network switch listed above offer this flexibility, because the 40G QSFP+ uplink port can be configured as either 1x40G or 4x10G and using optics breakout to individual 10G links, allowing many designs easily evolve from 10G uplinks to 40G uplinks or support a combination.

FS.COM S5850-48S6Q 48-port 10GE switch

Summary

The next generation data center network will continue to evolve rapidly over the few years. While with both 10G SFP+ port and 40G QSFP+ uplink port, this cheap 10GbE switch provides cost-effective and high-density data center and campus network solutions, and can meet the ever-increasing demand for network bandwidth at the same time.

25G Switch Comparison: How to Choose the Suitable One?

25G Ethernet over a single lane has emerged as the new standard for sever-to-switch interconnections due to the undeniable rise in bandwidth requirements from private and public cloud data centers. Additionally, the popularity of the 25G switch, which has become the latest craze in recent years, has grown as data centers’ demands for faster speeds have increased. An easy look at the market for 25G Ethernet switches and a look at some of the most popular 25G switches will be discussed in this post.

What is a 25G Switch?

The new 25G technology that connects top-of-rack switches to servers has significant advantages in terms of density, cost, and power consumption. A single 25 Gb/s high-speed lane of the 25G Ethernet switch maximizes switch fabric utilization and bandwidth. The number of connected servers or uplinks per switch is maximized when there is only one channel per physical port. In the current 25G switch market, a typical 25G switch has 48 ports. Today, major switch manufacturers such as Cisco, Juniper, Mellanox, Dell, etc. have launched their 25G switches.

” Also Check- 25G switches

25G Switch Market Analysis

We know that before the introduction of the 25G technology, the available options consisted of one lane for 10G, four lanes for 40G, or four lanes at 25Gbps for 100G. The 25G technology is compatible with the existing module form factors, such as SFP28 and QSFP28, and it permits a breakout connection between 25G and 100G without altering the port that is located on the front of many 100G switches. In addition, many network switch manufacturers have announced their new 25G switches in the last three years to increase their market share due to their high speed and bandwidth.

Nexus 9300-FX platform switches from Cisco were made available for switching at 10G, 25G, and 100G;
For 25G, 50G, and 100G Ethernet networks, Mellanox introduced the SN2410 series of 25G Ethernet switches;
EMC networking S-series 25/40/50/100GbE was suggested by Dell to assist with data center migration;
Broadcom Introduced the BCM56960 Series of 25G Switches for Cloud-Scale Networking;
FS.com launched the N-Series spine/leaf 25G/100G switch for cost-effective data center solutions.

In the existing market, there are a wide variety of 25G SFP28 transceivers, DACs, and AOC cables, which can meet various network requirements. Dell’oro’s study said that Ethernet switch sales will keep going up until the end of the decade, with 25G and 100G ports seeing the most growth.

Notes: the source of the research: Crehan research.Inc

From the research we can see, at least in the next three years, 25G/50G/100G bandwidth will continue to grow and occupy half of the total network bandwidth, which in turn enhances the development of the 25G switch market. Though challenges still exist for 25G Ethernet, it’s not denied that the trend for ToR 25G switches cannot be blocked.

” Also Check- 25G SFP28 Transceiver Module Overview

Why Do We Choose a 25G Switch?

Compared with 10G/40G switches, 25G Ethernet switches have significant advantages in many aspects. The following is mainly from three aspects: rate, power consumption, and technology maturity.

Rate: 25G can be easily upgraded to 50G and 100G. 100G was achieved prior to the development of 25G technology through applications and 10x10G technology. A single 25G LANE can transmit 50Gb/s of data if PAM4 level is used, and current 25G technology can achieve 100G.

Power consumption: The cost and consumption of a single Gbit are lower than those of 10G, and the power consumption of a 25G switch at full load is approximately 1.5 times higher than that of a 10G switch. Currently, as 25G technology continues to mature, costs are steadily and possibly gradually falling.

25G technology maturity: With the rapid development of AI and cloud computing, the demand for network bandwidth and latency is also rising. To provide more bandwidth, we must upgrade our 10G network to a 25G network. The real-world application of 25G data center switches in data centers demonstrates the maturity of 25G-related engineering technologies.

” Also Check- 25G Data Center Switches

Comparison Between Commonly Used 25G Switch in the Market

As previously stated, the 25G SFP28 switch market is booming as a result of the expanding bandwidth and speed as well as the promotion provided by switch manufacturers. Then, how can existing 25G Ethernet switches be used to optimize network performance while simultaneously controlling total investment? First, let’s compare the most frequently used 25G network switches.

25G Ethernet Switch	Port	Switch Capacity	Packet Buffer Memory	Max power consumption	ONIE Support	Price
Brocade SLX 9140	48SFP28 Port 6 QSFP28 Port	1.8 Tbps	24 MB	489 W	Yes	$19,703.99
Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX	48* SFP28 Port 6* QSFP28 Port	3.6 Tbps	40 MB	425 W	No	$11,681.99
Dell S5148F-ON	48* SFP28 Port 6* QSFP28 Port	3.6 Tbps	16 MB	516 W	Yes	No Infro
FS N8560-48BC	48* SFP28 Port 8* QSFP28 Port	4 Tbps	32 MB	300W	No	$6,899.00
Mellanox SN2410	48* SFP28 Port 8* QSFP28 Port	4 Tbps	/	/	Yes	$16,910.00

The features listed in the table for each 25G SFP28 switch are the same: 6 QSFP28 uplink ports and 48 SFP28 ports. These switches can also be used as ToR/Leaf switches. In most cases, switch-to-server applications make extensive use of 25G SFP28 switches.

If you don’t have a limited budget, the Cisco 25G switch might be a good choice for a 25G ToR switch because, despite its high price, it has excellent configuration and performance as well as a good reputation. Cisco switches are ideal for data centers due to all of these features. Naturally, Dell, Brocade, and Mellanox, as well as other manufacturers of 25G SFP28 switches, provide excellent alternatives for migrating networks from 10G to 50G and 100G.

However, purchasing a 25G switch like the FS N8560-48BC, which is compatible with SDN (Software Defined Networks) via OpenFlow 1.3.11, is a better option for those who don’t care about brand. It is also compatible with the advanced hardware-based VXLAN feature, which enables it to support over 16 million virtual networks, making it a good choice for data center solutions that are affordable.

” Also Check- How to Use 25G Switch for Switch-to-Server Connection

Summary

Switching to a 100G network with a 25G switch is easier because it reduces the number of cables and switches that are required in network designs, resulting in lower CAPEX and OPEX. Are you prepared to deal with the rapidly evolving 25G switch market?

How to Select Transceivers for White Box Switch?

White box switch, also known as open switch, has gained popularity in data centers. Because they provide high performance switching and enable users a broader choice in software and hardware purchase at the same time. However, it’s the openness of open switches that leads to other problems: is there any limitation on the use of optic modules for white box switch? How to choose an optical transceiver for open switches?

white box switches

Considerations When Selecting Transceiver for White Box Switch

As we know, open switches vendors usually sell network switches either as bare-metal devices or preloaded with any compatible operating system, as requested by the purchaser. And there are many hardware and software vendors on the market. In order to achieve the desired performance with white box switch, some users may purchase hardware and software from different vendors. For example, one network operator may buy a white box switch from Dell, FS or HPE, but he will get a network operating system from Cumulus Linux. There is no fault of this action, but it will bring another problem—which type of optical transceivers can be used for the switch?

optical transceiver

According to the situation of white box switch on the market, there are two considerations should be taken into account when choosing an optical transceiver for white box switch.

The first one is the operating system (OS) of the switch. It’s known to us that there are various OS vendors like Cumulus Linux, Pica8 and HPE. They develop their own OS for their white box switch to get more market shares. Some of these companies also have their own optical transceiver production line. And some of them do not preclude the use of any industry-standard transceiver, which provide a freely choice for users to source standard components directly from manufacturers or from a broad range of re-sellers. Therefore, the transceivers from the corresponding OS vendor can be used for their open switches.

Another one is the optical transceiver itself. Not all white box switch vendors can provide transceivers for their switches. And some brand OEMs add enhancements to their standardized optic modules, which increases more cost on optics. However, some open switch vendors look forward to seeing an open standard without vendor lock-in. Therefore, cost-effective compatible optical transceivers that follow MSA SFF specification is another choice for white box switch. Among these compatible optical modules, most generic optical transceivers on the market can be used for white box switch.

Optical Transceiver Solution for White Box Switch

White box switches have been the way for web-scale data center operators who are able to drive down the cost and drive up efficiency and flexibility of their IT infrastructure, especially in some big companies like Facebook, Google or Amazon. And there is a growing group of companies that also want the same level of efficiency web-scale operators have achieved. How to realize this? More white box switches are required without question.

White-box switch market is booming. Under this situation, providers like FS.COM supplies 10GbE switch, 25GbE switch, 40GbE switch and 100GbE network switches preloaded with FS OS or Cumulus OS for small and medium size networks or data centers. And all the generic optical transceivers in FS.COM are available for white box network switches.

Related Article: What White Box Switch Means to SDN Deployment

Connectivity Options for 10G Switch/Server Networking

Much of the enterprise market is still running on 1GbE speeds and will be looking to migrate to 10G switch over the next several years. As we know, usually there are three types of connections between switches and servers in 10G networking—SFP+ DAC, fiber cables with SFP+ optics, and 10GBASE-T. And in theses connections, network interface card (NIC), also called network adapter, plays an paramount role. In this post, three connections that upgrade to 10G networking will be explored in details.

Connectivity Options

Today, IT managers can select 10G switch and interconnect options based on specific intended uses—using copper or fiber cables. Each has advantages and disadvantages. Here are the three connection options.

Fiber Cables with SFP+ Transceiver

Fiber optic connections are well suitable for areas that have heavy traffic aggregations like EoR (End of Row) switches. In these connections, SFP+ modules are used together with fiber patch cables on 10G fiber switch, just like the following picture shows. In some SFP+ connections, SFP+ NIC is also needed to link servers and switches such as in MoR (Middle of Row) or EoR (End of Row) connections. Though cabling with fiber in 10GbE fiber switch is great for latency and distance (up to 300m), it also costs more.

fiber

SFP+ Direct Attach Copper Cable (DAC)

Connections with DACs are a good choice for deploying 10G switch within blade server enclosures or racks over short distances. But its reach is limited to 7m and it is not backwards-compatible with existing GbE switches. Of course, an add-in 10GBASE NIC is required for these connections.

dac

10GBASE-T NIC (Network Interface Card)

Nowadays, IT managers have 10GBase-T as a third option for either ToR switch or EoR usage models. 10GBASE-T with Cat 6a UTP cabling makes 10GbE available to a much broader market at a lower cost. It offers the most flexible solution for more data center 10GbE networking applications. Besides, 10G SFP+ copper transceiver also uses Cat 6a or Cat 7 copper cables, but it only supports link length of 30 meters.

10GBASE-T NIC

Comparison

As have mentioned above, 10G connections between servers and switches can be realized with both fiber and copper cables. Here is a simple comparison chart.

No matter fiber cable, 10G SFP+ copper cable or 10GBASE-T NIC, they can be used in ToR, EoR and MoR connections. Apart from the difference listed in the chart, another factor that should be considered is the cost. Even if the fiber cable has advantages on distance and latency, the use of SFP+ transceiver can add up to 30%-40% to server, switch and storage interface costs. And more SFP+ connections mean more add-in network adapters, which add cost and maintenance overhead.

While the raw cost of the 10GBASE-T is far less than either optical fiber or direct attach twinax copper cables. Cat 6a cable is easy to install and maintain, allowing for customized length, and it can be field installed. The most important point is that Cat 6a cable is compatible with existing gigabit switches. Many networks today already have Cat 6 or Cat 6a cabling in place, so they are 10GBase-T ready. And today’s 10GBase-T network adapters are also cost-effective, enhancing the adoption of 10GBASE-T NIC.

Summary

10G Ethernet is no longer limited to fiber optic media. DAC cable is a popular choice for short distances; 10GBASE-T allows for more economical and easier deployment than ever before. With the price of 10GbE network getting more affordable than ever, many IT managers are sizing the opportunity to upgrade their networks and keep pace with these increasing bandwidth demands. After reading this post, fiber or copper, which would you choose?

Related Article: FS.COM LAN Access 10G Switch Analysis

Still Have Problems with Quanta LB4M and LB6M 10G Switches?

With the growth of virtualization, cloud-based services and applications like VoIP, video streaming and IP surveillance, various 10G switches with diverse functions spring out on the market. Quanta LB4M and LB6M 10Gb switch are two types popular 10G switches among them. However, there is few user manuals on the Internet, which brings inconveniences for users. This post intends to give a simple introduction to Quanta LB4M and LB6M 10G switches and some solutions for the common problems that may arise in their operating process.

Basis of Quanta LB4M and LB6M 10G Switches

The Quanta LB4M is a modular Gigabit Ethernet backbone switch designed for adaptability and scalability. This switch supports up to 48 Gigabit Ethernet ports to function as a central distribution hub for other switches, switch groups, or routers. And it offers 2 SFP+ interfaces for 10G port on the daughter board. While the Quanta LB6M switch provides 24 10GbE SFP+ ports and 4 1000BASE-T ports, which makes it more popular than LB4M. For these two switches, many users think highly of its performance. But there are also some passive remarks due to the limited documentation.

quanta lb4m & lb6m

Problem & Solution

If you have searched on the Internet, you will find that there are so many questions about Quanta LB4M and LB6M network switch in all aspects like lack of instructive manuals, the operating issues, IP setup problems, etc. Here is a collection of several popular ones in discussion forums and blogs. Hope it will help you.

Quanta LB4M MAC Entry Problem

Use the LB4M in an active/passive configuration for SAN (Storage Area Networking). The two SAN nodes of the user have HA (fail over) and for that it uses a virtual IP which is moved between the two head nodes in case of failure. But the virtual IP MAC is missing from the LB4M switches “mac-addr-table”, which in turn leads to this virtual IP to be mirrored to all ports on that vlan.

Solution: right MAC (Media Access Control) mapping is the core of Ethernet switches. The first choice is to determine whether the MAC address of the switches is valid. Then pick a random address with the same 3-byte prefix as one of your physical MAC addresses and see if the switch accepts it. Another choice is to check the port security where the switch only accepts traffic from a single MAC address, either hard-coded in the config or the first one “seen” on that port.

LB4M Ports Are Deactivated and Backup Image Is Corrupt

Bought a Quanta LB4M and configured a management IP for the Web interface. After rebooting the switch as told, the screen showed that the crc-checksum for both the first and the backup image are corrupt, and another image is needed via the modem.

Solution: try to get upload an image via the modem to fix the problem. And then test it to check if the switch works.

Connect Dell 2848 with SFP to Quanta LB6M?

Dell 2848 switch has four SFP ports, while the Quanta LB6M has 24 10GbE SFP+ ports and 4 1000BASE-T ports. And other devices also need to be connected with. Then how to connect Dell 2848 with Quanta LB6M? The data center is currently running on a 1Gb Cat 6 cables.

Solution: using 10Gb SFP+ LC modules for the Quanta LB6M, 1Gb SFP LC modules for the Dell 2848 and then run MM fiber. Since SFP+ and SFP ports are not compatible, OEM services are another choice to solve this type of problem. FS.COM offers various kinds of customized service to meet customers’ different demands.

How to Avoid the Problems Mentioned Above?

It is undeniable that the Quanta LB4M and LB6M 10G switches are popular among users, which can be seen from the remarks in some forums. But since there is few instructive documents to describe these two types of switches, it will be difficult to solve the problems met in the operating process immediately. FS.COM supplies various kinds of 10G switches to meet the demand of Gigabit access or aggregation for enterprise networks and operators customers. Other 10G optics like 10G transceiver and 10G DAC & AOC are also available. Welcome to visit our website www.fs.com for more information.