ADVA boosts 10 and 40 Gig faceplate density with its QSFP28 MicroMux
Created April 7, 2016
Technologies and ProductsADVA Optical Networking has put a multiplexer inside a QSFP28 module to expand the 10- and 40-gigabit client-side signals supported by its CloudConnect data centre interconnect platform.
Such platforms are designed to deliver terabits of transport capacity in a compact, power-efficient design. But this poses a challenge as the front panel of such platforms can only fit so many lower-rate 10- and 40-gigabit client-side interfaces.
ADVA Optical Networking has tackled the problem with its MicroMux module that plugs into the front panel of the CloudConnect and funnels either 10, 10-gigabit ports or two, 40-gigabit ports into a 100-gigabit port.
“The MicroMux allows you to support legacy client rates without impacting the panel density of the product,” said Jim Theodoras, vice president of global business development at ADVA Optical Networking.
ADVA Optical Networking will offer four MicroMux pluggables for the CloudConnect: a short-reach and long-reach 10-by-10 gigabit QSFP28, and a short-reach and intermediate-reach 2-by-40 gigabit QSFP28 module.
Using the pluggables, a 5-terabit CloudConnect configuration can support up to 520, 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports, according to the company.
The first products will be shipped to preferred customers in the third quarter while general availability is planned for the year-end.
ADVA Optical Networking unveiled the MicroMux at OFC 2016, held in Anaheim, California in March. ADVA also detailed its Open Optical Line System demonstration with switch vendor Arista Networks at the show.
The Open Optical Line System is a concept being promoted by the Internet content providers to allow them greater control of their optical networking requirements.
“The key part of the Open Optical Line System is the software,” said Theodoras. “The software lets an optical line shelf be its own separate node; an individual network element.”
The data centre operator can then manage the standalone CloudConnect Open Optical Line System product. Such a product can take coloured wavelength inputs and provide feedback with the source platform, so that the wavelength is tuned to the correct channel.
In the Open Optical Line System demonstration, ADVA Optical Networking squeezed an Arista 100-gigabit wavelength from its 7500 data centre switch into a narrower 37.5GHz channel sandwiched between two 100 gigabit wavelengths from legacy equipment and two 200 gigabit (PM-16QAM) wavelengths from the CloudConnect Quadplex card. All five wavelengths were sent over a 2,000km link.
“Two years after Microsoft first talked about the concept at OFC, here we are today fully supporting it,” said Theodoras.
See also:
Press release: ADVA Optical Networking Launches MicroMux Module for Ultimate DCI Scalability
Presentation: ADVA Optical Networking and Arista Networks Joint OOLS Demonstration
Gazettabyte: QSFP28 MicroMux expands 10 & 40 Gig faceplate capacity
