This gives data center operators the flexibility to reuse existing 10G cabling infrastructure when upgrading to 40G, resulting in significant savings on upgrade costs. Avago QSFP+ eSR4 modules integrate four 10G channels in each direction to more than triple the bandwidth within a line card while using 50 percent less power than a single-channel SFP+ module.
The growth of server virtualization and cloud computing, along with the trend toward network convergence, has increased the demand for faster and more efficient data center networks. Currently, 10G connectors consist of 48 10G channels per line card, limited by the physical size of the SFP+. To meet the need for greater bandwidth, customers can use Avago QSFP+ eSR4 modules to expand rack-height, leaf-height, and modular configurations to up to 44 QSFP+ ports per line card. This provides 176 10G channels with QSFP+ instead of the 48 SFP+ channels currently available. QSFP+ eSR4 modules can be used for both 10G and 40G high-density aggregated Ethernet applications, offering greater flexibility for connecting to different switch levels, reducing latency, and increasing port density with lower power consumption per channel.
Avago also announced the production of its QSFP+ iSR4 modules, which enable 10GSFP+ connector interoperability up to 100 meters using OM3 multimode fiber (MMF) and up to 150 meters using OM4 MMF. The QSFP+ eSR4 version increases this range to 300 meters with OM3 MMF and 400 meters using OM4 MMF. Avago expects to begin testing the QSFP+ eSR4 modules this summer.
10G Legacy Ethernet switches are based on the 10GBASE-SR specification, using form factors such as SFP+, XFP, and X2, which have not been proven to interoperate with the specifications of standard 40GBASE-SR QSFP+ modules. Avago QSFP+ iSR4 and eSR4 modules can interoperate with all of these form factors. Furthermore, these modules incorporate both the unparalleled reliability of Avago's 850nm Vertical-Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) technology and PIN detector technology, providing an effective 10 Gigabit port count of up to 176 ports in a
rack.
