Roles of MTP Trunk, MTP Harness, MTP Conversion Harness in 40G/100G Migration

With bandwidth demands continuing to grow, higher and higher capacity and throughput are required in the data center. And to address these needs efficiently and effectively, a strategic approach focusing on existing user expectations and future capacity requirements is wanted. MTP/MPO cable is the good choice that can meet various network requirements. This post will list the roles of different MTP/MPO cables (MTP trunk, MTP harness, MTP conversion harness) in 10G/40G/100G migration.

10G/40G/100G Migration Solutions

 

For upgrading connection data rates, several common scenarios are available with using MTP/MPO fiber cables. Following part will list these applications out for your reference.

10G to 40G: 8-Fiber MTP Harness Cable

 

One commonly used upgrade possibility beyond 10G incorporates four 10G SFP+ transceiver connections to a 40G QSFP+, which requires a 8-fiber MPO-LC harness cable. Figure 1 illustrates one side of the transmission path utilizing this MPO harness cable in conjunction with a 40G QSFP+ to aggregate four 10G SFP+ transceivers. QSFP+ transceivers on the switches yield higher port densities and throughput.

Figure 1: 10G to 40G upgrade by using MTP/MPO LC harness cable

 

40G to 40G: 12-Fiber MTP Trunk Cable

 

MTP trunk cable incorporates interconnected banks of QSFP+ transceivers (MPO to MPO connectivity). Figure 2 illustrates the connectivity. In this connection, 12-fiber MPO trunk cables are needed to connect the transceivers. Four fibers transmit light, four receive and four unused.

 

Figure 2: 40G to 40G connection by using MTP/MPO trunk cable with four fibers unused

40G to 40G: 2x3 MTP Conversion Harness/Module

 

MTP conversion harness and MTP conversion module both take advantage of 100% fiber utilization. For those needing 100% fiber utilization, 2x3 MTP conversion harness or conversion module can achieve the purpose. Connectivity of the 2x3 MTP conversion harness and conversion module is the same. They are interchangeable, but must be used in pairs: one (MTP conversion harness or module) at each end of the link. Figure 3 shows an example of how MTP conversion module uses all fibers to achieve 100% fiber utilization. The eight live fibers from each of the three QSFP+ transceivers are transmitted through the trunks using the full 24 fibers. The second 2x3 conversion module unpacks these fibers to connect to the 3 QSFP+ transceivers on the other end.

 

Figure 3: 40G to 40G connection with MTP conversion module ensuring 100% fiber utilization

100G to 100G: MTP Trunk Cable

 

For 100G to 100G connection, 24-fiber MTP trunk cable allows direct attach capability of 100GBASE-SR10 CXP or CFP equipped devices, while 12-fiber MTP trunk cable can be used to allow the direct connection for 100G QSFP28 (MPO to MPO) connection.

 

Figure 4: MTP trunk cable for 100G to 100G connection

10G to 100G/120G: 24-Fiber MTP Harness Cable

 

To achieve 10G to 100G/120G connection, one popular implementation is to use the high density 100G/120G CXP for space-saving. This deployment can leverage the 10G-per-lane channels to distribute the 10G data anywhere in the data center. Figure 5 uses a 24-fiber MTP harness cable that separates each TX and RX pair, allowing connectivity to any duplex path reachable by a patch panel. Simply connect this cable to a 120G CXP transceiver and the customer can access the 12 individual transceiver pairs. When used with a patch panel, this method offers the ultimate in flexibility, allowing connectivity to any row, rack, or shelf.

 

Figure 5: 10G to 100G connection by using 24-fiber MTP LC harness cable

40G to 120G: 1x3 MTP Conversion Harness

 

One way to break out a 120G CXP is to use 1x3 MTP conversion harness cable. Figure 6 shows a 24-fiber fanout that utilizes 24 fibers to split the 12 transceivers into three groups of eight. These eight-fiber groups match the TX/RX fibers used on a QSFP+ transceiver for direct connection to three separate QSFP+ transceivers. Like the 12x10G segregation mentioned above, once split, the 3x8-fiber QSFP+ channels can be distributed through patch panels and 12-fiber based trunking to any area of the data center.

 

Figure 6: 40G to 120G connection by using 1x3 MTP conversion harness

Summary

 

Several solution scenarios have been illustrated in this post. From 10G to 40G/100G/120G, we can see that different MTP/MPO fiber cables are used for data transmission. Generally, MTP/MPO trunk cables are used for direct connection between two switches. MTP harness cables are used for data migration to higher data rates. And MTP/MPO conversion cables are used to achieve 100% fiber utilization between two switches. All of those different MTP/MPO fiber cables (MTP trunk, MTP harness, MTP conversion harness) can be found in FS.COM. For more details, please visit www.fs.com.

Originally published: www.fiberopticshare.com/roles-mtp-trunk-mtp-harness-mtp-conversion-harness-40g100g-migration.html

 

Other post you may be interested: No Conversion vs. Conversion Module vs. Conversion Harness: Which to Use for 40G Parallel Solution?

MTP Links: Base-8 vs. Base-12 vs. Base-24

For data center managers, deploying a fiber system that can easily be upgraded to future high-density network demands is the first thing that should be considered, because network reconfiguration would result in lots of time and money. So it is essential to deploy a fiber network which is easier to upgrade to the higher data rates from the start. For high density MTP links, Base-8 vs. Base-12 vs. Base-24: which one can provide a easier migration path for future network data rates?

Base-8 MTP Link

 

Base-8 MTP link is based on Type B male/pinned MTP trunk in the backbone. Base-8 MTP is SR4 ready, meaning that the backbone connectivity has the same fiber count as the SR4 transceiver. Base-8 MTP links allow customers to patch directly to SR4 transceivers without having to convert connectors with different fiber counts or waste excess fibers in the backbone. As SR4 transceivers are the preferred choices for 40G, 100G data rates and beyond, the Base-8 system is arguably the most scalable and future-proof backbone choice currently available. Customers deploying 10G data rates today can still deploy the Base-8 system knowing that upgrades to 40G or 100G will be much simpler and cost effective in the future. The following picture is 1x3 MTP conversion harness cables used in 40G/100G network with 100% fiber utilization.

 

Base-12 MTP Link

 

Base-12 MTP link is based on Type A female/unpinned MTP trunk in the backbone. Base-12 MTP is partially SR4 ready, because although SR4 is an 8 fiber interface, the Base-12 MTP connector is still compatible with it. Unlike the Base-8 MTP system, Base-12 does not utilize all of the fibers in the backbone when patched directly with SR4 transceivers, however multiple Base-12 MTP connectors can be combined and then converted so that full fiber utilization can still be achieved. Take our 2x3 MTP conversion harness cables for example, these MTP conversion cables have two 12-fiber MTP connectors on one end and three 8-fiber MTP connectors on the other end, which utilize all 12 fibers in two trunks for use with three port channels.

 

Base-24 MTP Link

 

Base-24 MTP link is generally deployed for 100G parallel links running over SR10 transceivers. Normally these links are between two high data-rate switches as opposed to switch to server. Base-24 can also be used for lower data rate backbone links such as 10G and 40G but this is normally only in cases where space and install time are the key drivers.

MTP Links: Base-8 vs. Base-12 vs. Base-24

• Initial Investment

Base-8 does require a higher up-front investment than Base-12 or Base-24 backbones due to the higher number of MTP connectors that are installed from day 1. However, research shows that the rapid increase in data rates will bring a return on investment within a few years. Furthermore, Base-8 provides the most efficient link constructions for SR4 meaning that the investment to convert Base-12 or Base-24 to SR4 will be largely if not completely avoided later.

• Fiber Utilization

Although Base-12 backbones are still the most common choice for most data center operators today, it should be noted that there are still no standardized transceivers using all 12 fibers in a Base-12 connector. Furthermore, the most likely transceiver interface SR4 in the future uses only 8 fibers. With this in mind, customers need to make the important decision whether to deploy Base-12 today and risk wasting 33% of backbone fibers tomorrow, or go straight for Base-8 knowing that it will be the best investment for the future.

• No. of Cables

Compared to Base-8 or Base-12, Base-24 reduces the number of cables required in the link, and sometimes this can be a compelling driver towards using this particular interface in the backbone. However, it should be noted that deploying Base-24 as a backbone choice will require MTP transition modules or MTP conversion harness to make it suitable for 10G and 40G data rates.

Summary

 

From what have described above, we can see that Base-8 MTP link, Base-12 MTP link and Base-24 MTP link have their own cons and prons. Base-8 MTP trunks allow users to build 10G links today but can easily be upgraded to 40G links tomorrow using 8 fiber MTP connectivity. Base-12 and Base-24 MTP trunks allow users to build 10G links today, which can easily be upgraded to 40G/100G links tomorrow using MTP conversion modules, MTP conversion harness or jumpers, but would result in 33% fiber wastage. MTP Links: Base-8 vs. Base-12 vs. Base-24: which is your choice?

Originally published: www.fiberopticshare.com/mtp-links-base-8-vs-base-12-vs-base-24.html

Related Post: MTP-8 Solution: Future-Proof Connectivity in Data Center

 

12-Fiber or 24-Fiber MTP/MPO Cabling: Which Is Better for 40G/100G Network?