100G Transceivers: CFP/CFP2/CFP4 and QSFP28

With bandwidth demands keep growing, network service providers are looking at 40G or 100G to accommodate the constant traffic surge. For 40G QSFP+ transceivers, they are interfaced with MTP/MPO or LC connectors, which has been introduced in a previous post: 40G Transceivers With MTP/MPO Interface vs. 40G Transceivers With LC Interface. So this article will introduce 100G transceivers (CFP/CFP2/CFP4/QSFP28) which have different interface types.

100G Transceivers Standards

The 100G optical transceiver market is fragmented by many different implementations. Besides the IEEE standards, there are also 100G transceivers defined by MSA. The following table lists part of the 100G standards.

 

From the table above, we can see that there are three different interface types for 100G transceivers—24-fiber MPO, 12-fiber MPO and LC duplex. The 100G transceiver with 24-fiber MPO interface uses 20 fibers to transmit data, with 10 lanes at 10 Gbps per lane (10 transmit and 10 receive). The 100G transceivers with 12-fiber MPO interface use 8 fibers to transmit, with 4 lanes at 25 Gbps per lane (4 transmit and 4 receive). This interface standard has been introduced alongside the 100G QSFP28 transceivers to make 40G to 100G upgrade as seamless as possible. And the 100G transceivers with LC interface work over single-mode fiber cables for long-distance transmission.

100G Transceivers Types

After knowing about the 100G transceivers standards, let’s move to the 100G transceivers types. There are 100G CFP/CFP2/CFP4 and QSFP28 transceivers. CFP was designed after SFP, but is significantly larger to support 100 Gbps. The electrical connection of a CFP uses 10 x 10Gbps lanes in each direction (RX, TX). The optical connection can support both 10 x 10Gbps and 4 x 25Gbps variants. With improvement in higher performance and higher density, CFP2 and CFP4 appeared. While electrical similar, they specify a form factor of 1/2 and 1/4 respectively in size of CFP. CFP, CFP2 and CFP4 modules are not interchangeable, but would be inter-operable at the optical interface with appropriate connectors.

 

The 100G QSFP28 transceivers offer 4 independent transmit and receive channels, each capable of 25Gbps operation for an aggregate data rate of 100 Gbps. Among the various 100G transceivers, most of switch vendors choose the QSFP28 transceivers, because they make deploying 100G networks as easy as 10G networks, increasing density, decreasing power consumption and decreasing your price per bit. It’s also notable that the QSFP28 has the same physical size as the QSFP+ commonly used for 40G traffic. This means that switch vendors can increase the traffic throughput by a factor 2.5 without the need to redesign the front panel of their switches.

 

Conclusion

100G transceivers are boosting greatly for ever. Buying 100G transceivers is imminent. Choose a reliable supplier and buy the quality 100G transceivers right now. FS.COM has completed the inventory for 100G transceivers and you can enjoy the same-day shipping. We highly recommend the 100GBASE-PSM4 QSFP28 transceiver and 100GBASE-CWDM4 QSFP28 transceiver, which are affordable and can meet most of your network demands. For more details about our 100G transceivers, please visit www.fs.com.

Originally published: www.fiberopticshare.com/100g-transceivers-cfpcfp2cfp4-qsfp28.html

Four Types of 100G QSFP28 Transceivers Overview

For 100G optical transceivers, there are a number of form factors including CFP/CFP2/CFP4, CXP and QSFP28. Among these different 100G form factors, it appears that the market has chosen QSFP28 as the primary form factor for 100G links. Hence, this post will focus on several types of 100G QSFP28 transceivers—100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 transceiver, 100GBASE-PSM4 QSFP28 transceiver, 100GBASE-LR4 QSFP28 transceiver, and 100GBASE-CWDM4 QSFP28 transceiver.

100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 Transceiver

 

The 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 transceiver is a parallel 100G optical transceiver. It provides increased port density and total system cost savings. The QSFP28 full-duplex optical transceiver offers 4 independent transmit and receive channels, each capable of 25 Gbps operation for an aggregate data rate of 100 Gbps on 100 meters over OM4 MMF. Generally, 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 transceiver converts parallel electrical input signals into parallel optical signals by a driven VCSEL array. The transmitter module accepts electrical input signals compatible with CML (common mode logic) levels. All input data signals are differential and internally terminated. The receiver module converts parallel optical input signals via a photo detector array into parallel electrical output signals. The receiver module outputs electrical signals are also voltage compatible with CML levels. All data signals are differential and support a data rates up to 25 Gbps per channel.

 

100GBASE-PSM4 QSFP28 Transceiver

 

The 100GBASE-PSM4 QSFP28 transceiver is a parallel 100G single-mode optical transceiver with an MTP/MPO fiber ribbon connector. It uses 8 fibers (4 transmit and 4 receive), each transmitting at 25 Gbps, resulting in an aggregate data rate of 100 Gbps on 500 meters over SMF. The working principle of 100GBASE-PSM4 QSFP28 transceiver is nearly the same with the 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 transceiver. The only difference is that PSM4 works over SMF, while SR4 works over OM4 MMF.

 

100GBASE-LR4 QSFP28 Transceiver

 

The 100GBASE-LR4 QSFP28 transceiver converts 4 input channels of 25 Gbps electrical data to 4 channels of LAN WDM optical signals and then multiplexes them into a single channel for 100G optical transmission. On the receiver side, the module demultiplexes a 100G optical input into 4 channels of LAN WDM optical signals and then converts them to 4 output channels of electrical data. The central wavelengths of the 4 LAN WDM channels are 1295.56, 1300.05, 1304.58 and 1309.14 nm as members of the LAN WDM wavelength grid defined in IEEE 802.3ba. The 100GBASE-LR4 QSFP28 transceiver provides superior performance for 100G applications up to 10 km over SMF and compliant to optical interface with IEEE802.3ba 100GBASE-LR4 requirements.

 

100GBASE-CWDM4 QSFP28 Transceiver

 

The 100GBASE-CWDM4 QSFP28 transceiver is a full duplex optical transceiver that provides a high-speed link at aggregated data rate of 100 Gbps over 2 km on SMF. The transmitter path converts four lanes of serial electrical data to optical signal. The optical signals from the four lasers are optically multiplexed and coupled to single-mode fiber through an industry standard LC optical connector. The optical signals are engineered to meet the CWDM4 MSA specifications. On the receive side, the four incoming wavelengths are separated by an optical demultiplexer into four separated channels.

 

Summary

 

This article has introduced the basic information about 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 transceiver, 100GBASE-PSM4 QSFP28 transceiver, 100GBASE-LR4 QSFP28 transceiver, and 100GBASE-CWDM4 QSFP28 transceiver. The following table summarizes the differences of these four types of 100G QSFP28 transceivers. You should first make clear each type and then choose the one that best suits your network demands. In addition to the generic ones mentioned in this post, we also have other 100G QSFP28 transceivers compatible with major brands such as Cisco, etc. For the detailed information, you can visit www.fs.com.

Transceiver Type	Interface	Transmission Distance
100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 Transceiver	MTP/MPO-12	100m over 8 MMFs
100GBASE-PSM4 QSFP28 Transceiver	MTP/MPO-12	500m over 8 SMFs
100GBASE-LR4 QSFP28 Transceiver	LC duplex	10km over 2 SMFs
100GBASE-CWDM4 QSFP28 Transceiver	LC duplex	2km over 2 SMFs

Related Article: QSFP28 – A Better Way to 100G

Originally published: www.fiberopticshare.com/100g-qsfp28-transceivers-overview.html

Hot 100G Fiber Optic Transceivers for Data Center

With the increasing demands for higher speeds, and greater scalability, many service provider networking environments and enterprise data centers are undergoing an infrastructure transformation to get higher levels of performance and reliability. As speed and performance needs increase, optical transceivers have become an integral part of overall system design. And then 40G and 100G fiber optic transceiver have become preferable choices for more and more data centers as 1G and 10G cannot meet the needs of the bandwidth-hungry applications. Adopting 100G transceivers not only accelerates data flow throughout your data center or enterprise, but also provides CAPEX (capital expenditures), OPEX (operating expenditures) and time savings. This article focuses on the hot 100G transceiver modules for data centers.

100G CFP/CFP2/CFP4

When the IEEE finished the first 100G standard for Ethernet networks, the transceiver industry launched an alphabet soup of form factors. The CFP emerged first, "C" for 100, and FP for "Form factor, Pluggable". The CFP transceiver is specified by MSA between competing manufacturers. The CFP was designed after SFP interface, but is significantly larger to support 100 Gbit/s. While the electrical connection of a CFP uses 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.

With improvements in technology allowing higher performance and higher density, the development of the CFP2 and CFP4 specifications appeared. While electrical similar, the CFP2 and CFP4 specify a form-factor of 1/2 and 1/4 respectively in size of the CFP. The three modules are not interchangeable, but would be inter-operable at the optical interface with appropriate connectors.

100G QSFP28 Transceiver

The QSFP28 is the exact same footprint as the 40G QSFP+. The "Q" is for "Quad". Just as the 40G QSFP+ is implemented using four 10 Gbit/s lanes, the 100G QSFP28 is implemented with four 25 Gbit/s lanes. With an upgraded electrical interface to support signaling up to 28 Gbit/s signals, the 100G QSFP28 makes it as easy to deploy 100G networks as 10G networks. When compared to any of the other alternatives, the 100G QSFP28 increases density and decreases power and price per bit. So it is fast becoming the universal data center form factor for the following reasons.

The QSFP28 increases front-panel density by 250% over QSFP+. The form factor is the same and the maximum number of ports is the same, but the lane speeds are increased from 10 Gbit/s to 25 Gbit/s. The increase in panel density is even more dramatic when compared to some other 100 Gbit/s form factor: 450% versus the CFP2.

The QSFP28 transceivers can be based on either VCSELs (for shorter distances on multimode fiber) or silicon photonics (for longer distances on single-mode fiber). The advent of silicon photonics enables QSFP28 transceivers to support any data center reach up to 2 km or more. Silicon photonics provides a high degree of integration.

Fiberstore 100G Transceiver Solution

As a professional manufacturer and supplier in optical communication industry, Fiberstore provides a complete range of 100G fiber optic transceivers to meet the potential requirements. We have already prepared the stock of the CFP and CFP2 modules, which can be shipped immediately after ordering. For 100G QSFP28 transceivers, we have 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 and 100GBASE-LR4 QSFP28 transceivers. With our serious cost control, the prices of all our 100G fiber optic transceivers are much more affordable than the similar products in the market. Furthermore, with the mature coding technology, they can be compatible with many major brands. For more details, please visit www.fs.com or contact over sales@fs.com.

Article source: www.fiberopticshare.com/hot-100g-fiber-optic-transceivers-for-data-center.html