The path to 800 GigaBit Ethernet

The Ethernet Alliance (www.ethernetalliance.org) has released the new 2022 roadmap. There are a lot of new Ethernet applications on the agenda and the trend to higher speeds continues. A next important step will be 800 GigaBit Ethernet which is expected to find soon adoption especially in Data Center environments.

From the following table there are mainly 2 columns important for Data Center infrastructures. “MMF” defines applications running on Multimode OM4/OM5 fibers and the “500m PSM4” column is for Singlemode Ethernet transmissions up to 500 meters.

Not all versions now in scope by the Task Force (red colour) will really find acceptance in the market. Therefore, the next table simplifies it a bit more by detailing what are highly probable the most prospective next generation Ethernet applications. The majority will apply 50 Gb/s Lasers and with PAM4 coding the Lane Rate (= the speed transmitted on one fiber) will grow up to 100 Gb/s.

There are still some uncertainties with the applications on Multimode OM4/OM5 fibers with regard to the maximum distances (therefore the “?” in the table). Target is to reach with the “-SRx” versions again the max. distance of 100 meters, but highly probable there will be some shorter limits. The “-VRx” types are planned for lower cost “in-Row” Server connectivity on even shorter distances.

The increased lane rates to 100 Gb/s enable to reduce the quantity of fibers for parallel optical transmissions. For example 100GBASE-SR1 needs only 2 fibers compared to 8 fibers (100GBASE-SR4) before. Another example will be 400GBASE-SR4 (8 fibers) versus 400GBASE-SR8 (16 fibers). On the other side new 800 GigaBit “SR8” and “DR8” versions will need again 16 parallel Multimode or Singlemode fibers.

New connectivity is on the horizon

The well-known LC, MTP®/MPO-8 and MTP®/MPO-16 connectors will continue to play an important role as interface for corresponding pluggable Transceivers, both for Multimode and Singlemode. MTP®/MPO-16 Multimode connectors are now also with an 8° APC endface in order to address the high-return loss requirements from “PAM4” coded applications (for more details, please visit: SEDECIM Catalogue or PreCONNECT® SEDECIM System)

In addition, new VSFF (Very Small Form Factor) Connectors are approaching the market which are also considered by the Transceiver manufacturers. The two most important ones are the MDC Connector (originally from US Conec) and the SN Connector (originally from SENKO). Both will allow a 3-times higher density compared to classical LC connectors. Which one will finally win the race to the market is not yet visible (… we will keep you updated).

The most flexible & future proof IT cabling approach

Data Center IT Cabling planning starts with the choice of the right Trunk Cables between the racks. Considering todays and future Ethernet standards, these trunk cables need to support SR/DR/FR (2 fibers), SR4/DR4 (8 fibers) as well as SR8/DR8 (16 fibers) applications.

Therefore a reasonable choice are Trunks Cables built on 16 fiber subunits (“Base 16” Trunk Cables) terminated on both sides with MTP®/MPO-16 Connectors having an APC interface – both for Multimode and Singlemode applicationsThis cabling approach is in the meantime recommended by several well-known manufacturers in the market. By adding Breakout Cassettes or Fanout Harnesses on both ends, the IT cabling infrastructure is able to support very flexible and scalable various options: 1x SR8, 2x SR4 or 8x SR Ethernet or Fiber Channel applications. Moreover the infrastructure can be also adjusted later to the next generation VSFF connectivity and is therefore absolute future proof.

Rosenberger-OSI supports this Data Center IT cabling approach exactly with the PreCONNECT® SEDECIM solution

The PreCONNECT® SEDECIM Multimode cabling system from Rosenberger OSI was the first in the market who addressed all these important features. And now the system was updated with an additional full Singemode option. For more detailed information, please download the SEDECIM Productinfo which provides good guidance for various cabling configurations.

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