The Most Economical QSFP28 AOC and Switch Solution for 100G Network

Nowadays, most users choose to deploy 10G and 40G network that perform highly and efficiently in their systems. It cannot be denied that the bandwidth and capacity the 10G and 40G network provide are enough for their needs at present. However, due to the fast developing Ethernet network technology, the scale and traffic of Internet is rapidly expanding that will make the 10G and 40G network gradually obsolete and unsuitable for data centers, especially for the large-scale ones. Along with this trend, there is no doubt that the 100G network will become the mainstream in the near future. Are you now ready for the 100G network? Or still hesitating because of the high cost? In this paper, it will introduce some 100G QSFP28 AOC and switch solutions that can help you seek the most economical one to upgrade your system from 10G/40G to 100G.

100G QSFP28 AOC Solutions

QSFP28 AOC is a cost effective cable solution for 100G short distance transmission that consists of an OM4 multimode cable and two QSFP28 connectors, supporting 100G QSFP28 standards and compliant to the QSFP MSA (multi-source agreement). The length of the cable is usually available from 1 to 30 meters and its two QSFP28 connectors are fitted at each end of the OM4 multimode cable, very convenient for inserting into and removing from 100G QSFP28 ports. In data center, the QSFP28 AOC is really a low power alternative for 100G short distance transmission, which is highly recommended for the simplified intra rack and inter rack configurations. To seek the most economical QSFP28 AOC solution, the figure below shows the prices of several famous brands of QSFP28 AOC for your reference.

100G Switch Solutions

100G switch is an improved kind of network device designed for data center that offers the signal lane for any two 100G network nodes inserted into its ports. With the popularity of 100G network, it can be also available on many famous fiber optic manufactures like Cisco, Arista, Juniper, as well as the fiber optic manufacture FS.COM. With the aim of looking for a more economical 100G switch solution, the following will mainly introduce Cisco Nexus 3232C, Arista 7500R, Juniper QFX5110 and FS.COM S5850-48S2Q4C, both of which are fitted with QSFP28 ports to support QSFP28 AOCs.

The first type of switch–Cisco Nexus 3232C is a typical kind of low latency and high-performance 100G switch that can not only fulfill our current network needs but also suit for future applications such as big data, cloud and virtualization. And all its 100G QSFP28 ports can operate at 10, 25, 40, 50 and 100 GbE. The second type–Arista 7500R switch, including 7500R-36CQ, 7500R-36Q and 7500R-48S2CQ, is designed to lower power per 100GbE port and produce more reliable and dense network, which are available in a compact system design of 12, 8 and 4 slot. The third type–Juniper QFX5110 can be simply divided into QFX5110-48S and QFX5110-32Q, both of which have 100G QSFP28 ports to support QSFP28 AOC. All these three kinds of 100G switches are very expensive which can be learned from the following figure.

Compared to the previous three types, 100G switches like S5850-48S2Q4C and S5850-20Q4C provided by FS.COM can be available at a much lower cost. In details, the S5850-48S2Q4C has 48x10GbE SFP+ ports, 2x40GbE QSFP+ ports and 4x100GbE QSFP28 ports, while the S8050-20Q4C has 2x40GbE QSFP+ ports and 4x100GbE QSFP28 ports. Both of them are the cost effective switch solutions for building 100G network.

Discussion and Conclusion

From the text above, it can be easily learned that using Arista QSFP28 AOC and switch to deploy the 100G network would cost the most that can be as high as US$ 63,000.00, while the QSFP28 AOC and switch solution provided by FS.COM would be the most economical one, available at a quite low cost usually from US$ 7,440.00 to US$ 7,530.00. Considering that, you are recommendable to use the FS.COM QSFP28 AOC and switch solution for building your 100G network. If you have already had the switch like Cisco, Arista or Juniper, you are also suggested to choose FS.COM compatible QSFP28 AOC that has been tested to assure 100% compatibility, as a much more cost-effective cable solution.

Why Not Deploy 100G Ethernet Network?

Transceivers like Cisco SFP+, Juniper SFP+ are always used for deploying 10G Ethernet network, while transceivers like Cisco QSFP+, Juniper QSFP+ are chosen to deploy 40G Ethernet network if the network capacity and speed provided by the 10G Ethernet network are not able to meet our need. However, as our requirements for larger network capacity and higher network speed never stop, what should we do when the 40G Ethernet network can not satisfy our requirements any more? The answer is 100G Ethernet network, which is just a preferable solution to accelerate network speed for those bandwidth-hungry applications.

Benefits from 100G Ethernet Network

Since the 100G Ethernet network has been designed and put into use, the need for deploying 100G Ethernet network is always on the rise that can be learned from the following figure. What’s more, it is predicted that over half of the data center will migrate their systems to 100G Ethernet networks in near future. What makes the 100G Ethernet network so popular? What can we benefit from it? Let’s explore the advantages of deploying 100G Ethernet network.

In general, the advantages of 100G network can be concluded in four aspects. First and foremost, 100G network has the merits of expansion and scalability which is designed to support the reliability, manageability and flexibility of modern network while prepared for the bandwidth and speed requirements of future network. Due to allow for network changes in the future, 100G network can be still regarded as future-proofing network. Secondly, as a cost effective solution to greatly expand the network capacity, it features unsurpassed bandwidth and can be available at a compelling price. Thirdly, it is the first choice across long-haul networks for its large capacity and fast network speed that can be customized, optimized, and easily expanded to meet the future use. And finally, with the popularity of network transition from 10G/40G to 100G network, the 100G network technology is continuing to mature, which undoubtedly drives down the cost of 100G devices, such as QSFP28 transceiver modules and QSFP28 cables.

QSFP28 Transceiver—an Ideal Solution for 100G Ethernet Network

At present, there are several kinds of 100G transceivers, such as, QSFP28, CFP, CFP2 and CFP4, designed for different applications where the 40G transceivers can’t meet the requirements any longer. Among these 100G transceivers, the QSFP28 transceiver is the most widely used one which should be attached importance to for owning a fast, smooth and stable 100G network.

Similar to the QSFP+ transceiver that features four 10Gbps lanes to finish 40G transmission, the QSFP28 transceiver is also designed with four lanes, each of which transmits 25Gbps signal to achieve the whole 100G transmission and even supports the signal up to 28Gbps with an upgrade electrical interface. Meanwhile, the footprint and faceplate density of the QSFP28 transceiver are the same as those of the QSFP+ transceiver, but its advantages of higher density, lower power consumption and lower price per bit make itself superior to the QSFP+ transceiver.

FAQ for Using QSFP28 to Deploy 100G Ethernet Network

When using QSFP28 to deploy 100G Ethernet network, you may be confused about some questions. For instance, why we should choose this kind of 100G transceiver? What is the difference between QSFP28 and QSFP+ transceiver? And how many QSFP28 transceiver modules can be fitted into one switch? The following will give you the answers for these problems, which may be useful for you to deploy a fast, smooth and stable 100G network.

Why we should choose QSFP28 transceiver to deploy 100G network? In contrast to other 100G transceivers like CFP family, QSFP28 has greatly increased the panel density and decreased power consumption which can save cost a lot. For example, the increase in density is even more dramatic when compared to other 100Gbps form factors, such as, 450% versus the CFP2. For this reason, it is highly recommended to use QSFP28 to deploy our 100G network.

What is the difference between QSFP28 and QSFP+ transceiver? These two transceiver modules have the same size form factor and the number of ports, while the lane speeds of QSFP28 transceiver are increased from 10 Gbps to 25 Gbps. Hence, the QSFP+ transceiver is always used for 40G transmission with the four 10 Gbps lanes, but QSFP28 transceiver features four 25 Gbps lanes to achieve 100G transmission.

How many QSFP28 transceiver modules can be fitted into one switch? Just taking the one rack-unit (RU) switch as an example, it generally accommodates up to 36 ports for QSFP28 transceiver modules. In addition, there are also many other kinds of transceivers and cables (DACs and AOCs) can be plugged into these ports.

Conclusion

100G Ethernet network is definitely a preferable solution to accelerate network speed and expand the network capacity, which is strongly suggested for those bandwidth-hungry applications. Meanwhile, QSFP28 transceiver module is the ideal choice to deploy the 100G network for large scale data centers, as well as future network expansions, which features higher port density, lower power consumption and lower cost. Since there have been several kinds of QSFP28 transceiver modules available on the market for different application, if you want to choose one proper QSFP28 transceiver for deploying your 100G network, you can visit this article that shows the basic knowledge of common QSFP28 transceiver modules.

Overview of 100G QSFP28 Transceiver and Its Cable Assemblies

Have you ever annoyed with your slow network speed that may cause a time delay? Under this circumstance, do you have an urge to smash your computer? In order to deal with this problem that many people may encounter, experts turn to upgrade the system for a higher data transmission rate. For instance, 40G, 100G and even 120G Ethernet network are developed and deployed for higher transmission speed and greater bandwidth, facing the challenge of increasing network needs. Do you have any interest in upgrading your system? This paper will introduce one of the most commonly used 100G transceiver and its cable assemblies for you to flawlessly and smoothly deploy 100G Ethernet network. Thereby, time delays will be avoided when you are working in a hurry next time.

Solutions for 100G Ethernet Network Migration

As we know, installing standard transceivers and cables for 100G Ethernet migration is the most straightforward and efficient method to get a much higher transmission speed. As there are several kinds of transceivers and cables used for 100G Ethernet network, choosing the proper transceiver and its cable assemblies becomes an remarkable issue.

100G QSFP28 Transceiver

At present, there are several 100G transceivers that came into the market, developed for 100G Ethernet applications, such as, CFP, CFP2, CFP4, QSFP28. Compared with the 100G CFP family, QSFP28 has a great improvement in the panel density and also decrease power consumption, which can offer the cost-optimized solutions for 100G migration in a rack or data center. For this reason, it is more popular and commonly used for deploying 100G Ethernet network.

QSFP28 transceiver is the smallest 100G form factor transceiver with the same size as QSFP+ Transceiver used for 40G Ethernet applications. Meanwhile, it is also the optimized transceiver with the lowest power consumption among those 100G transceiver. When working and interconnecting, the data transmission speed of its four channels for differential signals will vary from 25 Gbps up to potentially 40 Gbps, which will finally achieve 100Gbps data rate.

In generally, 100G QSFP28 transceivers can be divided into two types, QSFP28-SR4 transceiver and QSFP28-LR4 transceiver, as shown in the following figure. As for QSFP28-SR4 transceiver, it is designed for supporting 100G Ethernet network at lengths up to 100 meters through multimode fiber. It works with non-standard MPO (multi push-on/pull-off cable) connectors which make some of the cost savings for the transceiver. As for QSFP28-LR4 transceiver, it has the ability to support connections up to 10km over single-mode fiber, with standard LC connectors and the existing structured LC cabling.

Is there any transceiver to support 100G Ethernet network that can transmit signals longer than 10 km? With the invention of DWDM QSFP28 PAM4, the answer is yes. To handle 100G Ethernet network with longer distance, through unremitting endeavor, experts finally make some breakthroughs in transceivers with DWDM capabilities and develop one of the most significant transceiver, DWDM QSFP28 PAM4, that can transmit signals at lengths up to 80km. However, the working principle of DWDM QSFP28 PAM4 is much more complicated than basic QSFP28 transceiver that requires amplification for even very short distances and needs dispersion compensation for any distance over 5 or 6km.

100G QSFP28 Cable Assemblies

In comparison with QSFP28 transceiver, QSFP28 cable (DAC or AOC cable) is much more convenient and cost-efficient to support 100G Ethernet network by directly connecting 100G equipment. What’s more, using a single cable assembly can solve many problems that caused by association with connectors.

As for its classification, there are basically two types of cable assembly, QSFP28 AOC and DAC (see in the following figure). QSFP28 DAC is suitable for applications within 15m transmission distance, while QSFP28 AOC can transmit signals much longer, at lengths up to 70m. Hence, you can select the proper cable assembly according to the transmission distance your network requires.

Conclusion

From the above information, we can learn that QSFP28 modules offer the best solution for 100G migration with the lowest power consumption at present. As for QSFP28 transceiver and it cable assemblies, you can choose it just on the basis of the transmission distance your network requires. As the development of fiber optic technology will never stop, there is no doubt that more and more transceivers and cable assemblies would be designed for much higher transmission speed, meeting the increasing network needs.