10 Gigabit Ethernet Cabling Options in Data Center

10 Gigabit Ethernet or 10GbE is a group of computer networking technologies for transmitting Ethernet frames at a rate of 10 gigabits per second. Nowadays, 10 Gigabit Ethernet is gaining broader deployments by the increasing bandwidth requirements and the growth of enterprise applications. In the world of 10 Gigabit Ethernet, selecting the appropriate 10-gigabit physical media is a challenge, because 10GbE is offered in two broad categories: optical and copper. This article will introduce both optical and copper cabling options for 10 Gigabit Ethernet.

Fiber Optical Cabling

Single-mode fiber (SMF), typically with an optical core of approximately 9 μm (microns), has lower modal dispersion than multimode fiber. It is able to support distances of at least 10 km, depending on transmission speed, transceivers and the buffer credits allocated in the switches. While multimode fiber (MMF), with an optical core of either 50 μm or 62.5 μm, can support distances up to 600 m, depending on transmission speed and transceivers.

When planning data center cabling requirements, be sure to consider that a service life of 15-20 years can be expected for fiber optic cabling. Thus the cable chosen should support legacy, current and emerging data rates.

10GBASE-SR — a port type for multimode fiber, 10GBASE-SR cable is the most common type for fiber optic 10GbE cable. It is able to support an SFP+ connector with an optical transceiver rated for 10GbE transmission speed. 10GBASE-SR cable is known as “short reach” fiber optic cable.

10GBASE-LR — a port type for single-mode fiber, 10GBASE-LR cable is the “long reach” fiber optic cable. It is able to support a link length of 10 km.

OM3 and OM4 are multimode cables that are “laser optimized” and support 10GbE applications. The transmission distance can be up to 300 m and 400 m respectively.

Copper Cabling

Common types of 10GbE copper cables are as follows:

• 10GBASE-CR — the most common type of copper 10GbE cable, 10GBASE-CR cable uses an attached SFP+ connector and it is also known as a SFP+ direct attach copper (DAC). This fits into the same form factor connector and housing as the fiber optic cables with SFP+ connectors. Many 10GbE switches accept cables with SFP+ connectors, which support both copper and fiber optic cables.
• Passive and Active DAC — passive copper connections are common with many interfaces. As the transfer rates increase, passive copper does not provide the distance needed and takes up too much physical space. So the industry is moving towards an active copper type of interface for higher speed connections. Active copper connections include components that boost the signal, reduce the noise and work with smaller gauge cables, improving signal distance, cable flexibility and airflow.
• 10GBASE-T — 10GBASE-T cables are Cat6a (category 6 augmented). Supporting the higher frequencies required for 10GbE transmission, category 6a is required to reach the distance of 100 m (330 feet). Cables must be certified to at least 500 MHz to ensure 10GBASE-T compliance. Cat 6 cables may work in 10GBASE-T deployments up to 55 m (180 feet) depending on the quality of installation. Some 10GbE switches support 10GBASE-T (RJ45) connectors. 10GBASE-T offers the most flexibility, the lowest cost media, and is backward-compatible with existing 1 GbE networks.

Fiberstore Solutions for 10 Gigabit Ethernet

As one of the most professional optical manufacturers in China, Fiberstore’s solutions for 10 Gigabit Ethernet include 10G SFP+ fiber, 10G SFP+ DAC. Besides, we also supply high quality 10G transceivers, like X2-10GB-SR, SFP-10G-ZR, SFP-10G-SR, XFP-10GZR-OC192LR, etc.

XFP Transceiver Overview

Since the module multi-source agreement (MSA) association announced the XFP specification, MSA form factors for 10 Gbit/s optical transceivers have evolved along two separate paths that are now converging on XFP as a universal long-term solution. XFP transceiver is an ultra-small, hot-pluggable, 10 Gbit/s optical transceiver designed to help drive cost and power consumption out of 10 Gbit/s optical networking applications, and enables rapid advances in port density after the previous X2 and XPAK transceiver as well.

Features of XFP Transceiver

• Supports 10GBASE Ethernet and OC-192/STM-64 data rates
• Hot-swappable input/output device plugs into a XFP port
• Provides flexibility of interface choice
• Available for various transmission distance ranging from 300 m to 80 km
• Operates over a single wavelength or use dense wavelength-division multiplexing techniques
• Compliance with XFP Multi-Source Agreement (MSA)
• Digital diagnostic monitoring
• Uses LC fiber connector type to achieve high density
• A 1310nm directly modulated laser with PIN for 10 km
• A 1550nm cooled EML with PIN for 40 or 80 km
Besides, XFP transceiver costs approximately 30% to 40% less than earlier MSA form factors, and is far more compact, giving two to three times the density. As it is multiprotocol and hot-pluggable, it's not surprising that the industries are lining up behind it. Its versatility, low cost, and small footprint are making XFP transceiver the choice for an ever-growing set of 10 Gbit/s communications applications.

Applications of XFP Transceiver

XFP transceiver supports 10 Gigabit Ethernet, 10 Gbit/s Fibre Channel, synchronous optical networking (SONET) at OC-192 rates, synchronous optical networking STM-64, 10 Gbit/s Optical Transport Network(OTN) OTU-2, and parallel optics links. The XFP transceiver can be applied in longer reach applications for the metro-WDM market, which requires a cost-optimized, managed platform supporting different services and suitable for applications in diversified network topologies. For example, XFP-10G-L-OC192-SR1 transceiver provided by Fiberstore can support diverse applications for SDH/Sonet equipment including FEC (9.95Gb/s to 10.7Gb/s), as well as Ethernet LAN(10.325Gb/s) and WAN(9.95Gb/s) applications. The high performance uncooled 1310nm DFB transmitter and high sensitivity PIN receiver provide superior performance for SONET /SDH and Ethernet applications at up to 10km links. Digital diagnostics functions are available via a 2-wire serial interface, as specified in the XFP MSA.

Developing Trend of XFP Transceiver

The developing trend of transceiver depends on customers' needs. And the fact is that customers always need faster, smaller, and more cost-effective transceivers with lower power consumption. Different package of transceivers have come to the market as technology develops. With the fact that the new generation of transceiver package form will gradually replace the older generation, the old version also need to upgrade otherwise it has to be replaced gradually till disappear. For example, when XFP came to us, the transponder was replaced gradually. By adding tunable technique, the 10G transponders have still been in the market so far. But now SFP+ transceiver module also achieves tunable technique which indicates that the need for XFP is gradually decreasing.

Fiberstore manufactures and supplies a complete range of XFP transceiver modules which can be customized. In addition, Fiberstore also provides compatible XFP transceivers as alternatives to those branded by Cisco, HP, Juniper Networks. The aim is to offer customers high-performance and cost-effective products to fulfill their requirements, contributing this way to the customer's success and satisfaction.