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Are You Ready For 400G Ethernet?

The rapid development in telecom industry is driving massive demand for higher bandwidth and faster data rate, from 10G to 40G and 100G, will this keep going on? The answer is definitely “Yes”. Some time ago, migration from 10G to 40G or 25G to 100G has been a hot spot among data center managers. While recently, 400G solutions and 400G components are coming. Are you ready for 400G? This article will share some information about 400G Ethernet.

Overview of 400G

In the past couple of years, modules with four 25/28G lanes or wavelengths are the solutions for 100G Ethernet. However, they were expensive at the beginning. Until 2016, the optical components industry has responded to the demands with 100G solutions that already cost less per gigabit than equivalent 10G and 40G solutions, and new developments to further drive down cost and increase bandwidths. The next generation is 400G Ethernet. The IEEE has agreed on PSM4 with four parallel fibers for the 500 meters 400GBASE-DR4 specification that is part of the IEEE802.3bs standard being developed for approval by the end of 2017. The industry is already developing optical components for 400G Ethernet solutions. The following figure shows telecom and datacom adoption timelines.

Telecom and datacom adoption timelines

We can visually see that telecom/enterprise applications first adopted 100G technology in the form of CFP modules. Data centers generally did not adopt 100G interfaces until the technology matured and evolved towards denser, lower power interfaces, particularly in the form of QSFP28 modules. However, as the hyperscale data center market scales to keep pace with machine-to-machine communications needs, data center operators have become the first to demand transmission modules for data rates of 400G and beyond. Therefore, the 400G era is now upon us.

Modules for 400G

We know that the QSFP28 modules for 100G Ethernet and SFP28 modules for 25G Ethernet are now the dominant form factors. Though CFP, CFP2 and CFP4 modules remain important for some applications, they have been eclipsed by QSFP28 modules. To support higher bandwidth, what is the right module for 400G? The first CFP8 modules are already available. QSFP-DD is backward compatible with QSFP, and OSFP may deliver better performance, especially as networks move to 800G interfaces.

CFP8 module: CFP8 module is the newest form factor under development by members of the CFP multisource agreement (MSA). It is approximately the size of CFP2 module. As for bandwidth density, it respectively supports eight times and four times the bandwidth density of CFP and CFP2 module. The interface of CFP8 module has been generally specified to allow for 16 x 25 Gb/s and 8 x 50 Gb/s mode.

100G CFP to 400G CFP8

QSFP-DD module: QSFP-DD refers to Quad Small Form Factor Pluggable Double Density. It uses eight 25G lanes via NRZ modulation or eight 50G lanes via PAM4 modulation, which can support optical link of 200 Gbps or 400 Gbps aggregate. In addition, QSFP-DD module can enable up to 14.4 Tbps aggregate bandwidth in a single switch slot. As it is backwards compatible with QSFP modules, QSFP-DD provides flexibility for end users and system designers.

QSFP-DD vs QSFP

OSFP module: OSFP (Octal Small Form Factor Pluggable) with eight high speed electrical lanes is able to support 400G (8x50G). It is slightly wider and deeper than the QSFP but it still supports 36 OSFP ports per 1U front panel, enabling 14.4 Tbps per 1U. The OSFP is able to meet the projected thermal requirements for 800 Gbps optics when those systems and optics become available in the future.

OSFP module

Conclusion

Judging from the current trends, 400G will become the mainstream in the near future. But there are still some challenges for it to overcome, such as high capacity density, low power consumption, ever lower cost per bit, and reliable large-scale manufacturing capabilities. You never know what surprise the network will bring to you, let’s wait and see the 400G’s time.

TP-Link T1700G-28TQ—An Economic Choice for SMBs

As new emerging networking standards, 40G and 100G network have been achieved initial success. But they are based on the 10G network. With the growing numbers of small business enterprises, 10G SMB switches are also in a large demand. TP-Link has introduced the T1700 Series 10G Smart Switches: the T1700X-16TS Full 10 Gigabit Smart Switch and the T1700G-28TQ Gigabit Stackable Smart Switch with 10G Uplink. They provide high levels of performance and the increased scalability that meet the requirements of SMBs. This article would introduce the T1700G-28TQ and its compatible optics.

TP-Link T1700G-28TQ Switch

As one of the TP-LINK’s Gigabit stackable smart switches, the T1700G-28TQ is able to provide reliable, cost-effective and resilient networking solutions for SMBs. The switch is equipped with 24 10/100/1000Mbps RJ-45 ports and 4 dedicated 10G SFP+ slots which can be used for uplinks and/or stacking, providing a strong interconnection between access and aggregation.

TP-Link T1700G-28TQ Switch

Figure1:TP-Link T1700G-28TQ Switch(Resource: www.TP-Link.com)

Features & Benefits of T1700G-28TQ

—Physical Stacking

The T1700G-28TQ supports rich L2 features, including 802.1Q tag VLAN, Port Isolation, Port Mirroring, STP/RSTP/MSTP, Link Aggregation Groups, and 802.3x Flow Control function. Besides, T1700G-28TQ supports L2+ feature static routing, which provides simple network segmentation by routing internal transmissions to make the ow of network traffic more efficient.

—Abundant L2 and L2+ Features

The stack system of T1700G-28TQs supports up to 40Gbps bi-directional stacking bandwidth with built-in redundancy and auto-failover. The switch supports up to 6 units in a stack, which allows it to provide up to 144 GE ports, 12 available 10G SFP+ uplinks and 768Gbps switching capacity, offering high-density developments as well as flexibility for future network expansion need.

—Secure Networking

The T1700G-28TQ supports IP-MAC-Port Binding, Port Security, Storm control, and DHCP Snooping, which help to protect the network from broadcast storms, ARP attacks, and more. And the switch supports 802.1X, which allows network clients to be authenticated through external Radius servers and the guest VLAN function allows non-802.1X clients to access specific network resources.

—Enterprise Level Management

The T1700G-28TQ is easy to use and manage. It supports various user-friendly standard management features, such as intuitive web-based Graphical User Interface (GUI), industry-standard Command Line Interface (CLI), SNMP (v1/2/3), and RMON. This allows the switch to provide valuable status information and send reports on abnormal events. Comprehensive IPv6 support management ensures a smooth migration to an IPv6-based network. It also supports Dual Image to provide improved reliability and network uptime.

Compatible Optics for TP-Link T1700G-28TQ

As being mentioned, the TP-Link T1700G-28TQ has 24 10/100/1000Mbps RJ-45 ports and 4 dedicated 10G SFP+ slots to achieve network connectivity. And it is a switch supports different optical modules and network cables. For the 10/100/1000Mbps RJ-45 ports, you can use 100BASE-TX or 1000Base-T optical transceiver with UTP category 5, 5e or above cable (maximum 100m) to achieve the link. Besides, you can also use 1000BASE-X with singlemode or multimode fiber cable to connect.

10G optics

Figure2: Optional choices for 10G network

As for the 10G SFP+ ports, there are two approaches to achieve transfer the data. You can choose 10G optical transceivers or 10G DAC cables to transfer data. The TP-Link T1700G-28TQ support 10BASE-T with UTP category 3, 4, 5 cable (maximum 100m), 10GBASE-LR and 10GBASE-SR to connect. In addition, you can use TP-LINK TXC432-CU1M or TP-LINK TXC432-CU3M to achieve the link.

The main compatible optical modules and cables are listed in the below:

10BASE-T: UTP category 3, 4, 5 cable (maximum 100m)
100BASE-TX/1000Base-T: UTP category 5, 5e or above cable (maximum 100m)
1000BASE-X: MMF, SMF
10GBASE-LR
10GBASE-SR
TP-LINK TXC432-CU1M
TP-LINK TXC432-CU3M

Conclusion

TP-Link T1700G-28TQ provides cost-effective solution for 10G SMB networking. This article mainly discussed about its definition, features and benefits as well as compatible optical modules and cables. If you are looking for its compatible optical modules and cables, FS.COM is a nice choice.

Compatible Optical Modules For FS S5850-48S2Q4C 100G Switch

With the development of advanced technology, 100G products is fast growing in 100G market to cater to the demand of a higher bandwidth. How about 100G switches? Recently, FS launches S5850/S8050 series 100G switches including two configurations: S5850-48S2Q4C and S8050-20Q4C, to meet the market demands. The FS S5850-48S2Q4C switch is high performance and cost-effective Ethernet access and aggregation platform to enterprise, data center and metro application. This article aims at providing a detailed information about FS S5850-48S2Q4C 100G switch and its compatible optical modules.

Features of FS S5850-48S2Q4C Switch

The FS 100G switch S5850-48S2Q4C is designed based on the fourth generation high-end scalable chipset, which supports L2/L3/Data Center/Metro features. In a compact 1 RU form factor, the 100G switches can provide line-rate L2 and L3 switching across up to 48 SFP+ ports or 20 QSFP+ ports, and offer 2× 40GbE QSFP+ or 4×100GbE QSFP28 uplink connections. Compared to other 100G switch products on the market, this 100G switch have the following characteristics:

Data center lever hardware design.
Design for traffic visual and trouble-shooting.
Design for data center applications.
Focusing on supporting 40G/100G ports with large capacity and high density port.
Complete system software with comprehensive protocols and applications to facilitate rapid service deployment and management for both traditional L2/L3 networks and Data Center networks.

S5850-48S2Q4C-100G-switches

Compatible Optic Modules For S5850-48S2Q4C

The FS 100G switch S5850-48S2Q4C supports a full rang of 10, 40 and 100 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity options. Those 10G/40G/100G ports support installation of SFP+, QSFP+ and QSFP28 transceiver modules. FS provides many high-quality compatible SFP+, QSFP+ and QSFP28 modules for S5850-48S2Q4C 100G switch.

10G SFP+ Modules

10G SFP+ modules for FS S5850-48S2Q4C

Among all the 10GBASE SFP modules on the market, 10GBASE SR SFP and 10GBASE-LR are warmly welcomed by many Ethernet users right now. The maximum transmission distance of Cisco 10GBASE-SR module can be up to 300 m and 400 m respectively on this switch by using multimode fiber OM3 and OM4. The Cisco 10GBASE-LR module can arrive a link length of 10 km on standard single-mode fiber through this switch. The 10G SFP+ modules here totally conform to the specification of this S5850-48S2Q4C 100G switch. You can select a proper one to connect.

40G QSFP+ Modules

40G QSFP+ modules for FS S5850-48S2Q4C

As we can see from the above figure, there are many 40G QSFP+ modules available to this switch. By using Cisco 40GBASE-SR4 QSFP modules, link lengths on this switch can arrive 100 m and 150 m, respectively, on laser-optimized OM3 and OM4 multimode fibers. It primarily enables high-bandwidth 40G optical links over 12-fiber parallel fiber terminated with MPO/MTP multifiber female connector. All of FS.COM’s transceivers are tested for 100% functionality and guaranteed compatible for outstanding network performance. So does the above 40G transceivers, they are completely applicable to this S5850-48S2Q4C 100G switch. Recently, there is a big slump in Cisco 40GBASE-SR4 QSFP at FS.COM. So buying Cisco 40GBASE-SR4 QSFP now is really a good deal, for it only needs $49, which can help you save a lot.

100G QSFP28 Modules

100G QSFP28 modules for FS S5850-48S2Q4C

100G QSFP28 SR4 is highly favored by many Ethernet users to connect switch. The 100G QSFP28 SR4 offers 4 independent transmit and receive channels, each capable of 25Gb/s operation for an aggregate data rate of 100Gb/s, which can be up to 100 m on this S5850-48S2Q4C 100G switch by using OM4 multimode fiber. It provides increased port density and total system cost savings. An optical fiber ribbon cable with an MTP/MPO connector can be plugged into the QSFP28 module receptacle. The compatibility of the above 100G QSFP28 modules are guaranteed, you can rest assured to use them for connecting with this S5850-48S2Q4C 100G switch. Just like 40GBASE-SR4 QSFP, Cisco 100G QSFP28 SR4 is on a big sale recently at FS.COM as well. A Cisco 100G QSFP28 SR4 is yours only by paying $269.

Summary

FS S5850-48S2Q4C switch is high performance 100G switch, offering cost-effective solutions for next generation metro, data center and enterprise Ethernet network applications. It supports 10G, 40G and 100G Ethernet network connectivity.

400G CDFP Vs. CFP8 Module

400 Gigabit Ethernet was planned to be released in December this year. It is designed to meet IEEE P802.3bs Task Force standard and to apply to both metro and long-haul networks. The 400GbE operates over 100 m of multimode fiber, 500 m of singlemode fiber, 2 km of SMF, and 10 km of SMF. 400G CDFP and CFP8 are two form factors of 400G Ethernet technology. This article would give a introduction to 400G CDFP and CFP8 modules and make a comparison between them.

400G Ethernet

Introduction to 400G CDFP Module

The CDFP is short for 400 (CD in Roman numerals) Form factor Pluggable, which is designed to provide a low cost, high density 400 Gigabit Ethernet solution. It features as front panel, hot-pluggable, 16 channel and 400 Gbps module. CDFP will be a short reach module, which enables 4 Terabit line cards. From the perspective of interface, it is very similar to the QSFP and CXP module. CDFP developers have targeted using the developing IEEE802.3bs specification for Ethernet 400GBaseSR, 400GBaseLR.

5 meter direct attach cables
100 meter multimode fiber
500 meter parallel singlemode fiber
2 kilometers of duplex singlemode fiber

400G CDFP Module

Figure2: 400G CDFP Module

Information About 400G CFP8 Module

Following CFP2 and CFP4 naming, CFP8 module was proposed in the year 2015. CFP8 is a new form factor which is still under development by members of CFP8 MSA. The form factor of CFP8 is amounting to CFP2, but it supports 4 × 100G and 400G, for example, 4×CFP2’s 1×100G. The CFP8 uses a new 16 × 25G electrical I/O connector. The CFP8’s interface has been generally specified to allow for 16 × 25 Gb/s and 8 × 50 Gb/s mode. From the point of bandwidth density, the CFP8 module is eight times larger than the CFP module and four times larger than the CFP2 module.

400G CFP8 module operation

Figure3: 400G CFP8 module operation

Example IEEE specifications supported by CFP8:

400GBASE-SR16 parallel MMF (16x25G NRZ)
400GBASE-FR8/LR8 duplex SMF (8x50G PAM4 WDM)
400GBASE-DR4 parallel SMF (4x100G PAM4)
CDAUI-16, CDAUI-8

Figure4: Form factors of CFP modules

Among all the specifications on the above, 400GBaseDR4 is the most revolutionary one. 400GBaseDR4 uses 4x100G parallel SMF PAM4 signaling technology. This technology is also aimed at fitting in the CFP4 21.5-mm width module size, while using 12 (SMF) fibers within a 1×12 MPO optical connector and the host board electrical 56-pin edge connector.

Low power consumption is also a distinctive feature of CFP8. Active optical modules have been widely deployed in the process of data transmission, but some of them or some copper applications really cost a lot and consumes much power. CFP8 module uses internal mid-board optical or electrical interconnect flyovers and bulkhead MPO or MXC connectors to connect the switch. This reduces power consumption to a great extent.

400G CFDP Vs. CFP8

—Form factor

CDFP was proposed earlier than CFP8, it has larger form factor than CFP8.

—Supported fiber type

CDFP supports passive and active copper cable, active optical cable and multimode fiber while CFP8 supports singlemode and multimode fiber.

—Transmission distance

CFP8 modules support longer data link distance compared with CDFP modules.

—Applications

The CDFP modules provide a very versatile solution for data center interconnects. CFP8 would be used in high-density 4x100GbE fan-out applications, such as datacom applications or in ITU-T for telecom applications.

Conclusion

This article mainly discussed about CDFP, CFP8 and their differences in form factor, supported fiber type, transmission distance and applications. There is no doubt that 400G Gigabit Ethernet is an irresistible trend for future Ethernet development.

Cisco 6500 Series Switches: What Are the Features & Applications?

As modular chassis network switches, the Cisco catalyst 6500 series switches are optimized choices for network investment protection for enterprises and service providers. It delivers high security, resiliency, and port density for data center, LAN and WAN. Cisco 6500 series switches was researched and developed from 1999, and now they have been widely used in campus, data center and some large size enterprises. This article would mainly talk about their features and applications.

About Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switch

Cisco Catalyst 6500 series switches provide multiple slot choices—3-, 6-, 9-, 9-Vertical and 13-slot of different chassis. They offer the broadest range of interface modules with industry-leading performance and advanced feature integration. Catalyst 6500 Series switches feature an unparalleled range of integrated services modules, including multi-gigabit network security, content switching, telephony, and network analysis modules. There are five available 6500 series switch models in total, which would be mainly presented in the following.

Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switches

Figure1: Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switches(Resource: www.Cisco.com)

Cisco Catalyst 6513-E Switch
Cisco Catalyst 6509-E Switch
Cisco Catalyst 6506-E Switch
Cisco Catalyst 6504-E Switch
Cisco Catalyst 6503-E Switch

Features & Benefits

—High security

The 6500 Series switches integrate proven, multi-gigabit Cisco security solutions, including intrusion detection, firewall, VPN, and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) into existing networks.

—High scalability

They provide up to 400-mpps performance with distributed forwarding architecture.

—High flexibility

By integrating advanced services such as security, wireless LAN services, customers would experience the the widest range of interfaces and densities, from 10/100 and 10/100/1000 Ethernet to 10 Gigabit, and from DS-0 to OC-48, and performs in any deployment from end to end.

—Operational Consistency

A common set of modules are shared among all chassis configurations, and any network management tool can be used in the network.

—Time-saving

With Cisco IOS Software Modularity and platform, power supply, supervisor engine, switch fabric, and integrated network services redundancy. They deliver applications and services continuity in a converged network, minimizing disruption of mission-critical data and services, which offer the maximum network uptime to save your time.

—Network investment protection

The Cisco 6500 series provides extraordinary investment protection for your network, for they support three generations of interchangeable, hot-swappable modules in the same chassis, optimizing IT infrastructure usage, maximizing ROI, and reducing TCO.

Applications of Cisco 6500 Series Switches

The Cisco 6500 series switches are mainly deployed in campus networks, metro edge, Internet service provider (ISP) and grid computer networks. Owing to time and space limiting, we would only clarify the first two in this passage.

Campus Networks

As we mentioned in the first paragraph, the Cisco 6500 series switches have been widely applied to campus network. The 10/100 and 10/100/1000 autosensing modules provide inline power for the wiring closet. Besides, they are equipped with the work-class networking software and 1/10 Gigabit interface modules, which feature as robust high-availability, security and manageability. All in all, that would be of high performance for your distribution and core network in campus.

Deployment of Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switches in campus network

Figure2: Deployment of Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switches in campus network

Metro Edge

The Cisco 6500 switches provide point-to-point and multipoint Ethernet services, which is rather suitable for metro and intermetro network deployments. It has edge, distribution, and core network-layer interfaces, which is compliant with Network Equipment Building Standards (NEBS). They offer high performance 10 Gigabit Ethernet uplinks that is of security, availability, and manageability.

Deployment of Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switches in Metro Edge

Figure3: Deployment of Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switches in Metro Edge

Cisco Catalyst 6509-E Switch

As one of Cisco 6500 series switches, Cisco Catalyst 6509-E switch is of eye-catching recently. The 9-slot Cisco Catalyst 6509-E Switch provides high port densities that are ideal for many wiring closet, distribution, and core network as well as data center deployments. It supports1G and 10G Gigabit Ethernet network connection, along with 386 1G SFP ports and 32 10G XENPAK/X2 ports respectively. There are four compatible 1000BASE transceivers in total for the 6509-E switch, 1000BASE-LX/LH SFP, 1000BASE-SX SFP, 1000BASE-T SFP and 1000BASE-ZX SFP. You can plug any of the four transceiver types into the SFP port on this switch to make 1G network connection. The 6509-E supports 10G X2/XENPAK ports, you could connect 10GBase LR X2 module or any other compatible X2/XENPAK modules to the switch.

Other Economic Choices for 1/10G Switch

For 1/10G switch, you can take FS.COM for a try, we offer network Ethernet switches with high performance and high quality. The following is our S3910-24T4S Ethernet switch, which is deployed at the access layer of an enterprise network to deliver cost-effective packet switching capability. It provides 24*10/100/1000Base-T Ports and 4 10G SFP+ ports to extend your home or business network at gigabit speeds.

FS 1 10G enterprise switches

Figure4: FS 1/10G enterprise switches

Conclusion

Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches are inevitable choices for network investment of Multigigabit Ethernet services. They feature as high security, scalability, flexibility, operational consistency, time-saving, and network investment protection. Nowadays, they have been deployed in campus networks, metro edge, ISP and grid computer networks.