Monday, May 30, 2016

It’s Time to Deploy FTTH

Fiber to the home (FTTH) developments clearly influence the demand for today’s home purchases. Developers and home builders recognize the need for reliable high-speed broadband communications. Thus they should seize the opportunity to design FTTH network during the design and construction of the development. In fact, deploying FTTH in a new development is at cost similar with deploying copper at the same location. But the long-term benefits stemming from fiber-ready infrastructure further catch people’s attention. Unlike coax and xDSL, fiber is more than just fast. So why implement FTTH development? The following article will give a further illustration of the reasons.
Fast Bandwidth
Cable modem and xDSL helped residential broadband get off the ground. Now, however, the sheer speed of fiber overcomes bandwidth limitations of coax and copper. To illustrate, rising consumer demand for big-screen LCD displays can chew up 19 Mbps of bandwidth per channel. In addition, broadband connections are constantly clamoring for more band-width, both upstream and downstream. With busier lives, families want high-speed broad-band communications to transfer e-mail, digital photos and Internet files and they also want entertainment options such as time-sensitive, interactive video gaming that requires bi-directional bandwidth capability. With the typical household having three or more TVs and the ferocious appetite of broadband vying for capacity, it is easy to see that an abundant supply of fiber bandwidth must be included in the design and construction of the development. Figure 1 shows the basic FTTH architecture.
BASIC-FTTH-ARCHITECTURE-LANDED-PROPERTIES-SOLUTION
Reliable Capacity
Noisy channel conditions, inclement weather, environmental clutter such as buildings and trees, corroded connections and distance limitations can all impact the reliable delivery of residential broadband. However, the FTTH network access architecture is immune to all of these conditions so there is virtually no downtime. In addition, economical battery backup at the residential NID automatically kicks in when line power is interrupted. Furthermore, FTTH assures the demanding subscriber that they always receive the high-speed broadband capacity that they are paying for, both upstream and downstream, no matter how loaded the access network may be. This built-in reliability is no longer the exception but rather what the homeowner now expects and the builder’s life becomes much easier with satisfied homeowners.
Easy Deployment
Making the optical channel ready for signals once required a skilled technician to carefully splice fiber cables together. Today, the success of FTTH is no longer tied to fiber splicing in the field. As already alluded to, the distribution and drop segments of the FTTH network are easily deployed and intuitively connected. For example, the preterminated fiber drop can reduce subscriber connection time by up to 50 percent because it can be easily screwed into the terminal and the NID by an installer who does not need to know anything about fiber. In the distribution segment, the ease of deployment can shave off 80 percent of the deployment time, because once the terminal distribution system has been placed, homes are immediately ready to be connected into the network.
terminal process
In addition, with FTTH, there is no need for high-voltage power supplies in the neighborhood. Manufacturers are also continuing to improve the appearance and reduce the size of fiber cabinets and terminals relative to the traditional copper products. Combined, this results in a much more aesthetically pleasing deployment than ever before.
Future Proofing
An FTTH network offers land developers an enviable return on their investment capital. Timely planning today can net thousands of dollars in profit. For example, if you invest $500 per home to deploy the fiber jumper and connecting hardware and the home then sells for $5,000 more than it would have otherwise, your investment just returned a handsome 1000 percent profit. That is easy math and easy money.
The return on fiber investment does not stop with its deployment, however. The network operator will also appreciate that robust, reliable and cost-effective FTTH network as they seriously consider their operational expenses. For example, an optical access network featuring segments that can, by design, be quickly connected together not only reduces the upfront deployment cost but also will reduce the amount of time required to turn up subscribers, test and troubleshoot the network. As the triple-play battle for the residential customer continues, a preterminated FTTH network can make the business case very enticing because it sets the network operator’s stage for reduced operational costs and additional revenue from advanced services such as home security and home networking.
Operationally, fiber drop cables are quickly and easily screwed into terminals and residential network interface devices (NID) across the country to save both time and money. Without these key advances in FTTH technology that reduce capital and operational costs, FTTH would continue to wrestle its competitors but now FTTH wins the access investment hands down.
Beneficial Solution
Modern day residential services like HDTV and high-speed broadband that enhance the quality of life in homes are being delivered via FTTH. Looking forward, FTTH residential developments ensure that advanced services such as telecommuting, telemedicine and distance learning will all be transparently realized. FTTH results in reduced commutes and environmental pollution, prolonged quality of life, and education, education, education. Broadband communications is a key element in an increasingly competitive global economy. With FTTH, the world will be better positioned for social and economic prosperity.
Summary
To sum up, FTTH deployment is unstoppable with all the positive impacts that fiber affords. If you are still waiting for service providers to install cable and manually turn up services, then you are left behind. Fiberstore provides a full range of fiber jumper cables suitable for FTTH deployment. MM fiber patch cords and single mode fiber patch cables are also available. Come to us if you have any request for our products.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

QSFP+ Direct Attach Cable (DAC) Cables – Optimal Solution for 40G Interconnect

Believe it or not, the era of 1G or 10G Ethernet has already passed, and here comes the 40GbE. IEEE introduced the 802.3ba Ethernet standard in June 2010, since then enterprises like Cisco, HP and Juniper have devoted themselves to the development of 40G technology. A number of routers, switches, and network cards already operate at this speed. 40 GbE runs on Quad Small Form Factor Pluggable (QSFP+) cabling, which is the most common 40G optical solutions. 40G DAC cable provides a cost-effective solution for high-density network connectivity. In today’s blog, we are going to focus on some basic information about 40G direct attach cables.
QSFP+ Direct Attach Cables
Direct attach cable (DAC) is a form of high-speed cable with “transceivers” on either end used to connect switches to routers or servers. It is a kind of optical transceiver assembly. DAC cables are not real optics and their components are without optical lasers, which makes them much cheaper than the regular optics. Because of their low cost, low power consumption and high performances, DAC cables are the preferable choice for storage area network, data center, and high-performance computing connectivity. Note that QSFP+ DAC cables can only support a distance within 7 meter.
40g-qsfp+-passive-direct-attach-copper-cable
DAC Passive Copper Cable
QSFP+ DAC cables are designed in either active or passive versions. They are widely available for short-reach 40G interconnect. 40G DAC cables transmit 40GbE over short distances of parallel coaxial copper cabling. It uses a special cabling assembly with four lanes of coaxial cabling. Each transmit 10 Gbps in one direction and four transmit 10 Gbps in the other direction for a total data rate of 40 Gbps. QSFP to QSFP and QSFP to 4SFP+ copper direct-attach cables are the two common types of 40G DAC cables.
For example, Juniper QFX-QSFP-DAC-3M is the 40G QSFP+ to QSFP+ copper direct-attach cables. It is suitable for a distance of 3m and transmit over passive copper cables for 40-gigabit link. Cisco has also launched a 40G QSFP+ DAC cables for a distance of up to 3m. QSFP-H40G-CU3M, as the name implies, it can support a link distance of up to 3 m. Besides these two QSFP to QSFP DAC cables, many other telecom vendors also offer relevant 40G DAC cables. Just remember to find the suitable one matched with your switch or routers.
HP JG330A is QSFP to 4SFP+ copper direct attach cable. It connects with a QSFP+ connector on the one end and 4 SFP+ connectors on the other end, which are available in 40GBASE-CR4 and 10GBASE-CU standard. The following image shows a HP JG330A. You can take a closer look at it.
HP JG330A
40G AOC Cables
Active optical cables is short for AOC. AOC uses electrical-to-optical conversion on the cable ends to improve speed and distance performance of the cable while mating with electrical interface standard. Compared with direct attach copper cables, its smaller size, longer transmission distance, lower insertion loss and electromagnetic interference immunity make it popular among subscribers.
40G-QSFP-AOC
A debate that whether you should choose optical cable over cooper or verse is the long-term unresolved problems existed in telecommunication industry. Just like that, people are wondering whether to choose passive or active version of fiber optic cables. Passive cabling provides a direct electrical connection between corresponding cable ends and it contains no active components to boost signal. Active cables provide the same effect, but by embedding optics and/or electronics within the connectors, can overcome some of the limitations of passive cables. While passive cables are always copper-based, active cables can use either copper wire or fiber optics to provide the link between the cable ends.
Conclusion
40GbE was given birth in 2010 in order to meet the increasing needs of higher bandwidth. 40G Direct Attach Cables cables, as an optimal solution to support 40GbE interconnect, were warmly welcomed by network designers who want to upgrade to 40G. Fiberstore supplies various kinds of DAC cable assemblies including 10G SFP+ Cables, 40G QSFP+ Cables, and 120G CXP Cables. We provide a full range of 40G QSFP+ DAC cables that are fully compatible with major brand. If you have any requirement, you can contact us.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Are You Ready for Embracing 100G Ethernet?

Ethernet as the networking standards, enables computers to locally connect to each other, which is the ultra-strong backbone to the many networks we use every day. Although most of the Ethernet market is still running around 1 Gbqs or 10 Gbqs, there is a strong interest in higher data rates. Many hardware vendors like Cisco, Finisar, Huawei and Brocade have recently announced support for 100 Gigabit Ethernet and telecom vendors around the world have also shown interest in launching 100G networks. All these events shows the sign of the advent of 100 Gigabit Ethernet in the commercial segment. However, is it necessary to move to 100G now? Or should the 100g migration be a smooth one just as the IEEE has made when moving to 40G? This article will highlight the reasons and solutions of upgrading to 100G.
100G etherent
Why Move to 100G?
  • Most enterprises today are encouraging telecommuting and promote real-time, high-definition, high-quality voice and video solutions. All these require a huge bandwidth capacity. Additionally, 100G implementations offer an effective means to operate seamlessly within an existing 10G network infrastructure, avoid the need for additional optical amplifiers, dispersion compensators or regenerators. 100G is today’s choice to scale networks in a way that delivers the required capacity in the most efficient manner, readying the network for tomorrow’s bandwidth crunch.
  • Another interesting point is the efficiency of 100G Ethernet compared to link aggregation that is used today. As of now, a 10 x 10G Ethernet link aggregation can not give a throughput of up to 100 Gbps. This limitation can be overcome with a true 100G connection which can give a 100Gbps bandwidth, thus allowing high capacity links to scale even further. Considering all these, if not this year or the next, 100G will be widely adopted soon.
  • Last but not the least, the industry have come together in order to create a healthy 100G ecosystem, which will be beneficial for the entire community. This broad inclusion will result in a fast introduction of 100G solutions that will meet industry performance, size, cost, and power requirements. If the cost drive is right, once 100G is standardized and commercially available, network operators will quickly capitalize 40G investments and adopt 100G transmission for their future deployments.
Migrate to 100G with 100G Transceiver Modules
There are several form factors for supporting 100GbE including CFP, CFP2, CFP4, QSFP28 and CPAK. The following will make a clear introduction to all of them.
CFP Transceiver
The CFP is the very first 100G transceiver for the transmission of high-speed digital signals, the C stands for the Latin letter centum (means 100). The CFP module was designed after the SFP interface, but is significantly larger to support 100 Gbqs using 10 x 10 Gbit/s lanes in each direction (RX, TX). The optical connection can support both 10 x 10 Gbit/s and 4 x 25 Gbit/s variants of 100 Gbit/s interconnects. There are four common types of CFP transceiver modules, such as 100GBASE-SR10 in 100 meter MMF, 100GBASE-LR10 and 100GBASE-LR4 in 10 km SMF reach, and 100GBASE-ER10 and 100GBASE-ER4 in 40 km SMF reach respectively.
CFP module
As improvements in technology have allowed higher performance and higher density, which drives the development of the CFP2 and CFP4 specifications. While CFP, CFP2 and CFP4 are electrical similar, they specify a form-factor of 1/2 and 1/4 respectively in size of the original specification. Note that CFP, CFP2 and CFP4 modules are not interchangeable, but would be inter-operable at the optical interface with appropriate connectors.
QSFP28 Transceiver
QSFP28 is the same footprint as the 40G QSFP+ module. Just as the 40G QSFP+ module is using four 10Gbps lanes, the 100G QSFP28 is implemented with four 25Gbps lanes. In all QSFP versions, both the electrical lanes and the optical lanes operate at the same speed, eliminating the costly gearbox found in CFP, CFP2, and the CPAK. The QSFP28 module has an upgraded electrical interface to support signaling up to 28Gbps signals, yet keeps all of the physical dimensions of its predecessor. As QSFP28 technology becomes even maturer, QSFP28 transceivers will become more and more popular in 100G optics market. The above image shows a QSFP-100G-SR4-S. it is Cisco 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 transceiver module.
QSFP-100G-SR4-S
100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 transceiver and 100GBASE-LR4 QSFP28 transceiver are the two main types of the QSFP28 transceivers. The former is specified to operate over multimode fiber (MMF) with the maximum link length of 70m on OM3 and 100m on OM4, while 100GBASE-LR4 QSFP28 is standardized to work through single-mode fiber (SMF), able to realize 10km link length.
QSFP28 vs. CFP
QSFP28 and CFP are the two common 100G optical transceivers available on the market. As noted before, CFP is the first-generation 100G transceiver. It is the common scene that QSFP28 makes an appearance and CFP takes a bow, which reflects the trend in the industry to aggressively bring 100GE density up and costs down. CFP4 is half the width of CFP2, which is half again the width of CFP. QSFP28 has the same footprint and faceplate density as QSFP+ and is just slightly smaller than CFP4. Theoretically, QSFP28 seems to have the density advantage over CFP4, but CFP4’s higher maximum power consumption gives it the advantage on longer reach optical distances. However, the CFP is much more expensive than QSFP28 and will not be used for lower speeds because of the high cost.
100G-modules
CPAK Transceiver
CPAK is another newcomer to supporting 100G network. This is a proprietary form factor from Cisco but the interfaces demonstrated are IEEE standards and will interoperate with the same interfaces supported by other form-factors. Together, these solutions will deliver the smallest form-factor, most efficient 100-Gbps optical transceiver portfolio in the industry. Cisco CPAK will be available in several IEEE-standard optical interfaces.
Conclusion
Within the next several years, 100G is doom to become the dominant backbone technology in terms of its high capacity over 10G and surpassing would-be high-speed contender 40G. Of course, we must count on the components and systems suppliers to build products that meet technical and economic requirements while allowing a smooth migration to the 100G infrastructure that is being put in operation today. Fiberstore as a rising telecom supplier, is committed to promote telecommunication development. We recently release a full range of 100G optical transceivers including CFP, CFP2, CFP4, QSFP28 and QSFP28 DAC cables. All of our products are fully compatible with the original brand. If you have any requirement, you can send your request to us.

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

40G Bi-directional QSFP Transceiver

The virtualized workloads, cloud applications, and big data services today are driving previously server and data center fabric to an unimagined level. The existing 1Gbqs or 10Gbqs are gradually overwhelmed by higher-bandwidth like 40Gbps or 100Gbqs. Thus high-capacity optical technology and cabling infrastructure are required to support those servers and applications for 40Gbps upgrading. However, it might be too costly to replace all your equipment for 40G transition. So this article will introduce a cost-saving solution to help you smoothly migrate to 40GbE with the use of 40G BiDi QSFP+ transceiver.
40G BiDi QSFP Transceiver Overview
Bidirectional optical transceivers used for 40GBASE-SR-BD have the same 10-Gbps electrical lanes, which are then combined in the optical outputs, requiring two fibers with an LC connector interface. Each fiber simultaneously transmits and receives 20Gbps traffic at two different wavelengths. Figure 1 shows a electrical and optical lanes diagram of bidirectional optical transceiver. It can support link lengths of 100 meters and 150 meters, but on duplex LC OM3 and OM4 multimode fibers, which enables it use the existing 10 gigabit duplex MMF infrastructure for migration to 40 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity. Take QSFP-40G-SR-BD as an example, the Cisco QSFP 40Gbps BiDi transceiver supports link lengths of 100 and 150 meters on laser-optimized OM3 and OM4 multimode fibers, respectively. And this transceiver can also support 30m over OM2.
40GBASE-SR-Bi-Directional-QSFP
Difference Between 40GBASE-SR4 Parallel and Bidirectional Optical Transceivers
The IEEE standard 802.3ba released several 40Gbps based solutions, including 40GBASE-SR4 parallel optics solution for multimode fiber (MMF) and bidirectional 40Gbps transceiver. Unlike 40G BiDi QSFP transceiver, 40GBASE-SR4 parallel transceiver is simultaneously transmitted and received over multiple fibers. This transceiver has 10Gbps electrical lanes that are mirrored in the optical outputs and thus require eight fibers with an MTP connector interface. Each fiber either transmits (Tx) or receives (Rx) 10-Gbps traffic at a single wavelength.
While 40GBASE-SR Bi-Directional QSFP (see in Figure 2) has two 20Gbps lanes at two different wavelengths over a single MMF strand, enabling an aggregated 40Gbps link over a two-strand multimode fiber connection. It can support link lengths of 100 meters and 150 meters, but on duplex LC OM3 and OM4 multimode fibers, which enables it use the existing 10 gigabit duplex MMF infrastructure for migration to 40 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity.
QSFP-40G-SR-BD
To sum up, this two-fiber 40Gbps Bidirectional (BiDi) multimode solution uses two different transmission windows (850 nm and 900 nm) that are transmitted bidirectionally over the same fiber, which will allow the use of same cabling infrastructure for 40 Gigabit Ethernet as was used for 1 and 10G Ethernet application. While the parallel multimode optical transceiver operates at a wavelength of 850nm. Additionally, the connector type was converted from the traditional 2-fiber LC duplex connector to a 12-fiber MTP connector.
Use Your Existing 10 Gigabit Ethernet Fiber for 40 Gigabit Ethernet
Whether your cable plant is structured or unstructured, 40G BiDi QSFP transceiver delivers significant savings and a smooth migration to 40 Gigabit Ethernet. For instance, in a structured cabling system, devices are connected directly with fiber cables within short distances in a data center network. The existing 10Gbps direct connections commonly use LC MMF fiber, 40GBASE-SR Bi-Directional QSFP therefore allows cable reuse, resulting in zero-cost cabling migration from direct 10Gbps connections to direct 40Gbps connections. It is the same case with the structured cabling system. Figure 3 shows 40Gbps structured cabling solutions with 40GBASE-SR Bi-Directional QSFP transceivers and the similar 10Gbqs structured cabling with 10GBASE-SR SFP+.
40GBASE-SR4-Bi-Directional-QSFP-Structured-Cabling
The BiDi transceiver enables the use of an existing 10 Gigabit Ethernet fiber plant infrastructure for 40 Gigabit Ethernet, delivering four times the bandwidth over the same fiber plant and up to 70% savings over other current solutions. QSFP 40 Gigabit Ethernet BiDi technology removes 40Gbps cabling cost barriers for migration from 10Gbps to 40Gbps connectivity in data center networks. It provides simpler and less expensive 40Gbps connectivity compared to other 40Gbps transceiver solutions. The Cisco QSFP BiDi transceiver allows organizations to migrate their existing 10Gbps cabling infrastructure to 40Gbps with little capital investment.
Conclusion
For building out new data centers, deploying 40 Gigabit Ethernet for aggregation and core is no longer an option but a requirement to meet today’s data demands. Designing your new fiber cable plant with 40 Gigabit Ethernet BiDi transceiver allows you to reduce your fiber requirements while future proofing your data center for 100 Gigabit Ethernet. QSFP+ transceiver is indispensable for 40G application. Fiberstore offers a large variety of QSFP+ transceivers that are fully compatible with major brand including 40G BiDi transceiver. For more detailed information about our devices, please contact us directly.

Thursday, May 12, 2016

HP 10G SFP+ Optics Solution

Ratified in 2002, 10GbE standard is the same as previous Ethernet standards in almost every aspect, ensuring interoperability with all existing Ethernet technologies. Although 10G technology has been around for many years, its popularity has been slow. Enterprises has been reluctant to migrate to 10GbE within ten years after building out their 1GbE networks. But as virtualization and loud operations develops, 10GbE or higher bandwidth is greatly required. Today, there are a variety of products supporting 10GbE available on the market including the X2, SFP+, SFP+ DAC cable, servers, adapters and switches. And many vendors supply these products. As a representative, HP 10G SFP+ optics has been warmly welcomed by overall users. Therefore, today’s article will mainly introduce HP 10G SFP+ optics to you, especially the JD095C, JD097C and JD092B.
10GbE Makes it Possible
Ratified in 2002, 10G Ethernet standard just like early forms of previous Ethernet technologies can run over various types of fiber optic media including fiber optic media system, DAC cable and twinax-pair media system. 10GbE enables the capability to interoperate with Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) installations, paving the way to extend 10GbE backbones into metropolitan area networks (MANs) and wide area networks (WANs). At the same time, the 10GbE standard offers the potential to increase the performance and productivity of local area networks (LANs). The following image shows the existing 10G Topology for web-scale data centers including 48 servers/ToR, 3:1 oversubscription and low-cost, thin 4-wire SFP+ DAC cable.
sfp-to-sfp-DAC
HP SFP+ Optical Transceiver
The current 10GbE standard enables full-duplex 10GbE transmissions over distances up to 300 meters using multimode, 850nm fiber optic cable (SR); up to 10 kilometers (6 miles) using single-mode, 1,310nm optical fiber (LR); and up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) using 1,550nm fiber (ER). From XENPAK, X2 to XFP and SFP+, 10G optical transceiver modules have been developed rapidly to better meet users’ need. Comparing to the other 10G modules, SFP+ has won a larger market share and available on the market with the standard of SR, LR and ER. For instance, HP network has supplies a variety of 10G SFP+ modules with super performance. JD092B is HP 10GBASE-SR SFP+ operating at 850nm for a distance of 300m. Besides 10G SFP+ optical transceivers, SFP+ DAC cables are also indispensable for 10G interconnection application.
JD092B
10G Copper Direct Attach Cable Solution
SFP+ DAC, or 10GSFP+Cu, is a copper 10GBASE twinax cable which comes in either an active or passive twinax cable assembly and connects directly into an SFP+ housing. SFP+ DAC cable has a fixed-length cable, typically 1 to 7 m (passive cables) in length. And like 10GBASE-CX4, is low-power, low-cost and low-latency with the added advantages of using less bulky cables and of having the small form factor of SFP+. Active optical cables (AOC) can not be neglected if you are talking about DAC cable. 10G AOC cables have the optical electronics already connected eliminating the connectors between the cable and the optical module. Both SFP+ AOC and DAC cable are lower cost than other optical solutions. The most obvious difference between them is that SFP+ AOC cable supports longer distance with a little higher price.
HP SFP+ DAC Cables
As noted before, SFP+ DAC cable today is tremendously popular, with more ports installed than 10GBASE-SR. HP company, established in 1939, is an American multinational information technology corporation. It is aimed at providing hardware, software and service to consumers, small or medium sized business and large enterprises. HP product lines including a vast range of hardwares widely used in printing, digital imaging, software, computing as well as network service. Here is what you should know about the HP 10G DAC cables.
JD095C is HP 10G SFP+ passive direct attach copper twinax cable. The following part lists the detailed information about JD095C.
Connector type: SFP+ to SFP+
Cable type: Passive copper cable
Cable length: 0.65m
Wire AWG: 30AWG
Max data rate: 100Gbqs
JD097C
JD097C is also a HP 10G SFP+ passive direct attach copper twinax cable but with a longer distance of 3m. The above picture shows the HP JD097C SFP+ passive direct attach cable.
Summary
As we enter the 10 gigabit Ethernet era in the data center, we are facing some difficulties regarding cables and optics. But we are happy that we have find a cost-effective solution of SFP+ optical transceiver and DAC cables. HP SFP+ and DAC cables offered by Fiberstore are third-party optical modules. They are fully compatible with HP Switch/Router product line. The cost-effective HP SFP+ Optics are 100% tested before delivered worldwide. We provide HP compatible SFP+ transceivers which can be equivalent to HP J9150A, HP JD095C, HP J9152A, HP JD092B, HP JD097C and so on. If you have any question about our products, please send your request to us.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

1.25G SFP Transceiver Solution

SFP optical module is a compact optical transceiver module used in communication field. SFP optical transceivers are designed to support SONET/SDH, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel and other communications standards. It interfaces a network device motherboard (switch, router, media converter or similar device) to a Fiber Channel or Gigabit Ethernet optical fiber cable at the other end. SFP transceivers are available in a wide range of data rates including 155M, 622M, 1.25G and 2.5G, which allows users to choose the most suitable transceiver for each link. Today’s article will illustrate the most popular 1.25G SFP transceivers.
Description of SFP Transceiver
SFP modules can be divided into different types according to different standard. Here is what you need to know about SFP modules. The transmission distance of a SFP is up to 120km for single-mode and 2km for multimode fiber. The SFP fiber transceiver could be dual fibers with LC connectors, or single fiber with LC or SC connectors. The wavelengths could be 850nm, 1310nm and 1550nm. The 1.25G SFP optical transceiver modules are available in different standard such as 1000BASE-T, 1000BASE-SX, 1000BASE-LX/LH, etc. The following part explains such types.
1000BASE-SX SFP Transceiver
1000BASE-SX SFP transceiver is a cost effective 850nm module supporting dual data-rate of 1.25Gbps/1.0625Gbps. It is compatible with the IEEE 802.3z 1000BASE-SX standard and operates multimode fibers link up to 550 m. The fiber optic transceiver consists of three sections: a VCSEL laser transmitter, a PIN photodiode integrated with a trans-impedance preamplifier (TIA) and MCU control unit. This SFP type (e.g. J4858B) is usually applied for Fiber Channel links, Gigabit Ethernet links, Fast Ethernet links, etc. J4858B (see in Figure 1) is HP 1000BASE-SX SFP that is widely welcomed by overall users.
J4858B
1000BASE-LX/LH SFP Transceiver
1000BASE-LX/LH SFP transceiver is a high performance 1310nm transceiver for single-mode fibers. It is compatible with the IEEE 802.3z 1000BASE-LX standard and also supports dual data-rate of 1.25 Gbps/1.0625 Gbps with a transmission distance of 10 /15 /20 km. Cisco GLC-LX-SM-RGD (shown in Figure 2) is 1000BASE-LX/LH SFP that can operate on standard single-mode fiber-optic link spans of up to 10 km and up to 550 m on any multimode fibers. HP J4860C is a 1000BASE-LH SFP that can operates over 1550nm for a distance of 70km. Unlike Cisco GLC-LX-SM-RGD SFP, J4860C can support a much longer distance of 70km, which is ideal for long-haul network application.
GLC-LX-SM-RGD
10/100/1000BASE-T SFP Transceiver
10/100/1000BASE-T SFP Transceiver is compatible with the Gigabit Ethernet standard as specified in IEEE STD 802.3. It supports data rates of 10/100/1000 Mbps, fully satisfying 10/100/10001000BASE-T applications such as LAN 10/100/1000Base-T Fiber Channel links, Gigabit Ethernet over Cat 5 Cable, Switch to Switch Interface, Router/Server interface, etc.
Why Choose Compatible SFP Module
We have introduced several SFP modules above including the HP SFPs. The original SFP optical transceivers are very expensive, the simple solution to this is to find a reliable OEM vendor. Besides saving cost, there are many others reasons that you should choose to purchase a compatible SFP, SFP+ or XFP fiber optic transceiver. For example in a scenario where gigabit speed is required to run across a point-to-point link, the distance between the link length is assessed and an appropriate SFP transceiver module native to the host device is chosen. If a HP platform was in situation, then the selection of module will be limited by among the following: 550 meter (J4858B), 10km (J4859B), 40km (JD061A) or the maximum 70km (J4860C). Using a compatible SFP you can choose from a variety of distance limits from 550meters up to 100km in numerous increments with distances of 160km being achievable on the top product lines.
Another advantage of use compatible SFP transceivers is the freedom to tailor the transceiver to your individual requirement. Custom serial numbers can be added both to the product label and also hard coded to the device itself. Latches can be color coded for high density link identification Fiberstore also provide a recoding service in China, this specific service means existing SFP's can be adapted if the host device is to be changed. In some instances, even cross-device compatibility is quite possible.
Conclusion
Because of its high performance and small size, SFP transceiver replaces the former GBIC module and becomes the most used fiber optic transceiver module in the telecommunication industry. Currently, many optical vendors supply optical transceiver modules. Fiberstore, as a professional telecom manufacturer and supplier, offers a full range of SFP optical transceivers that are 100% compatible with large brands. We are committed to provide high-quality products and long-term customer services to our customers. Any interested in our products, you can contact us directly.

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Is the GLC-SX-MMD Transceiver Right for Your Network?

Growing businesses typically requires higher-bandwidth networks. It is an unavoidable trend. The old-decade technology like Base-T Ethernet works just fine for small office, but it isn’t sufficient to handle heavier network. Thus if you are in the situation to consider purchasing a large property, or opening up a second office, it is time for you to think about upgrading to Gigabit Ethernet, which moves at ten times the speed of traditional Ethernet. However, there are a number of issues involved in a major network infrastructure transition.
When planning a move to gigabit Ethernet, one of the most urgent concerns is how much new hardware designers have to purchase. The basic components like fiber optic cable and optical transceiver modules are indispensable. These inexpensive Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP) slots allow transceivers like the GLC-SX-MMD to be plugged in and provide instant gigabit Ethernet connectivity. The Cisco standard SFP transceiver allows data rate of 1000Mbps with DOM support. The max transmission distance is 550m over OM2 multimode fiber. So here comes the question, is the GLC-SX-MMD transceiver (see in Figure 1) right for your network?
glc-sx-mmd
Fiber Optic Gigabit Ethernet vs Twisted Copper
As noted before, GLC-SX-MMD transceiver operates over multimode fiber at rate of up to 1000Mbps. Using copper-wire cabling or fiber optic cabling like above is the unsolved dilemma when contemplating a network. It is the common sense that fiber optic cabling is more expensive than twisted copper cabling, but fiber optic provides several advantages over copper with the same gigabit speeds.
Fiberstore-test-program
First, fiber optic supports longer link distance than twisted copper. For instance, copper can only run for around 100 meters, whereas fiber can go between 200 and 500 feet, or more, without signal loss. Fiber has given off no radio interference, allowing it to coexist more easily in an office with a lot of wireless devices. Because of the lack of interference, fiber is also harder to hack into than copper. What’s more, for future proofing, moving away from copper is probably a good idea, as the fiber optics are growing steadily in popularity among businesses which have taken over large twisted-copper office buildings, created expansive complexes, or need to collaborate with remote offices in real time. Figure 2 shows a standard GLC-SX-MMD transceiver links fiber optic Ethernet with Cisco Switch.
Using a GLC-SX-MMD for Fiber Optic Gigabit Ethernet
GLC-SX-MMD, as a representative of the standard Cisco SFP, is widely utilized for short-reach Gigabit Ethernet. As we know, the biggest advantage of Cisco's SFP system is that it's entirely hot-swappable. It doesn't matter what the device is, from servers to your switch to simple Ethernet cards: If it has an SFP port on it, it can support a multitude of transceivers for different functions, through one standardized interface. In fact, that standardization means that third parties can produce transceivers which are as good as official Cisco units.
Cisco even maintains a Compatibility Matrix, to help you pick the right transceiver for the job. So, if you decide that fiber optic gigabit Ethernet is what you need for your future business communications, the GLC-SX-MMD transceiver is truly simple to install and use. Simply plug it into your switch or other device, plug in the new network cable, and it should recognize the network in a few moments.
Conclusion
For those who still use copper network or lower-bandwidth application, it’s time for them to think about upgrading their infrastructure. And there are several different gigabit Ethernet standards out there, you can see which best fits your vision for the future of your business. Just keep in mind that you will need an optical transceiver like the GLC-SX-MMD to connect your existing devices to the new network. Fiberstore manufactures high-quality fiber optical transceivers, like 100BASE SFP, 1000BASE SFP, BiDi SFP, CWDM/DWDM SFP Transceiver Module and SONET/SDH SFP, besides Compatible GLC-SX-MMD transceiver with lower price. GLC-SX-MM-RGD and GLC-SX-MM are also offered. If you have any requirement of our products, please contact us directly.

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

SFP+ DAC Cables – HP JD097C and JD095C Illustration

SFP+ Direct Attach or SFP+ DAC, as the name implies, uses SFP+ MSA and the inexpensive copper twinax cable with SFP+ connectors on both sides, provides 10G Ethernet connectivity between devices with SFP+ interfaces, which make itself a cost-effective solution for 10G network application. But SFP+ Direct Attach has a limited link distance within 10 meter. thus the target application is interconnection of top-of-rack switches with application servers and storage devices in a rack. Many vendors offer 10G SFP+ Direct Attach cables, today’s article will first talk about two HP SFP+ DAC cables—JD097C and JD095C, then move on to the further illustration of the 10G SFP+ DAC cables.
HP JD097C and JD095C
They are both HP DAC cables, JD097C is HP 10G SFP+ passive Direct Attach copper twinax cable with a link length of 3m, and JD095C has the same specification with the JD097C but with a shorter link distance of 0.65m. Table 1 shows the models of HP 10G SFP+ DAC cables. For the detailed information about SFP+ DAC cables, please read on.
HP SFP+ DAC cables
10 Gigabit Ethernet and Copper Cabling Choices
As switching standards mature and copper cabling standards catch up, the use of copper cabling for 10GbE is becoming more common. Currently, there are three different copper cabling technologies for 10 Gigabit Ethernet, each with different price and performance capabilities (see Table 2). Although fiber (SFP+ optics) delivers the lowest latency, many IT departments use copper cabling for switch-to-switch or switch-to-server Connections.
10G copper cabling choice
10GBase-CX4, published in 2004, was the first 10 Gigabit Ethernet copper standard. CX4 was relatively economical and allowed for very low latency. Its disadvantage was a too-large form factor for high density port counts in aggregation switches. SFP+ is the latest standard for optical transceivers. 10G SFP+Cu Direct Attach Cables (DAC) connect directly into an SFP+ housing. This new copper solution has become the connectivity of choice for servers and storage devices in a rack because of its low latency, small form factor, and reasonable cost. 10GBase-T or IEEE 802.3an-2006 was released in 2006 to run 10 Gigabit Ethernet over CAT6a and CAT7 copper cabling up to 100 meters. While promising, 10GBase-T still needs technology improvements to lower its cost, power consumption, and latency.
Direct Attach Cables are Convenient for Short Runs
10G SFP+ Direct Attach is a copper interconnect using a passive twinax cable assembly that connects directly into an SFP+ housing. It has a range of 10 meters and like 10GBASE-CX4, is low power, low cost and low latency with the added advantage of having the small form factor of SFP+, and smaller, more flexible cabling. Figure 3 shows the basic components of 10G network.
switchcable-and-ethernet-interface
SFP+ Direct Attach cables integrate SFP+ compatible connectors with a copper cable into a low-latency, energy-efficient, and low-cost solution. DAC are available in several lengths up to 10 meters (33 ft) and are the currently the best cabling option for short 10 Gigabit Ethernet connections.
Top-of-Rack (ToR) switches use the SFP+ form factor to provide high port density 10 Gigabit Ethernet in an efficient 1U form factor. Server and network storage vendors use 10 Gigabit SFP+ network adapters on their equipment for the same reason. DAC simplify rack cabling and termination. Each server and network storage device can be directly connected to the ToR switch, eliminating the need for intermediate patch panels. DAC are flexible enough for vertical cabling management within the rack architecture. The only cabling outside the rack is the ToR switch uplink connection to the aggregation layer, making moving racks easy.
Conclusion
The SFP+ interfaces enables mass migration of the 1GbE network to 10GbE by offering a very low cost 10G SFP+ (direct attached copper cable assembly) option for short reach interconnects along with multimode and single-mode fiber options. The SFP+ interface accepts along with hot-pluggable, small-footprint, optical transceivers, a Direct Attach Cable, which replaces two optical modules and a connectorized optical fiber with a twinax copper cable assembly. Fiberstore offers third-party SFP+ DAC cables including the above HP JD097C and JD095C. These compatible SFP+ interfaces are tested in prior to shipping to ensure its high quality and compatibility. If you have any requirement of our products, please send your request to us.