Just recently in Vancouver, the Ethernet IEEE-802.3cd Standards Committee voted yes simultaneously to include MicroQSFP, QSFP-DD and OSFP interconnect modules as MDI (media dependent interface) options. The remarkable singular vote, of 66 yes, 0 no, and 14 abstain, seemed to reflect the wide and deep need to support different types of new and established enterprise, […]
OSFP interconnect: what is it?
OSFP, Octal Small Formfactor Pluggable, is a very new module and interconnect system in development that is targeted to support 400-G optical data links inside datacenters, campuses and external metro long reach. The private consortium OSFP MSA group was founded by Google and is led by Arista Networks. This consortium already has more than 50 […]
New I/O standards use different lane count circuits to drive new connector use in DCs
InfiniBand is a very high-speed server fabric I/O network with various lane counts and connector/cabling specifications. The current high volume HPC and DataCenter installations are primarily using EDR 25.7G per lane interconnects. This is done using primarily a 4-lane option cable link between ToR switch and rack leaf server using the QSFP28 connector system. Although […]
New Gen-Z Interconnect Consortium launched
Gen-Z is a very new interconnect consortium that is focused on newer, advance memory, storage and accelerator architectures and devices. Gen-Z is based on the IEEE-802.3 physical layer specifications and external interconnects like SFP28 and QSFP28 connectors, cables and modules. Its first generation data transfer speed rate is 25Gbps per lane. 56GT/s and 112GT/s speed […]
What are Terapipe I/O compression connectors and cables?
Terapipe I/O compression connectors and cables were developed and used in very low volume ten years ago for a special very high frequency test instrumentation network that included Vector Network Analyzer and Bit-Error-Rate Equipment. These connectors and cable assemblies had to have a very clean SI design and performance, which meant having the minimum geometry […]
What are SAS 24G drive and backplane connectors?
SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) storage systems I/O interface and its data transmission rate and interconnect types are expanding again. SCSITA, the SCSI Trade Association, has been marketing, driving and supporting the next generation SAS 4.0 running at 24 Gbps full throughput per lane, though the actual data rate is 22.5 Gbps. The industry standards group […]
Considerations for modern industrial connector plug designs
Last week, we talked about how industrial connector plug designs evolved through the 1990s, growing ever smaller and more flashy in design. More recently, these modern industrial connector plug designs have been even more miniaturized and streamlined for lightweight, simple use. For example, during the 2000s, industrial design changed dramatically. Connectors shrunk another 20-30% to mostly […]
A historical perspective on connector plug industrial designs
Whether you are a general consumer, professional electronics user or a datacenter support technician/engineer, the appearance and handling of connectors and cables has been and can still be a sometimes bewildering or even gnarly experience. There are many factors to consider. Let’s take a backward, current and near future look at the evolution of I/O […]
What are MPO connectors?
MPO—Multi-fiber Push On—is a type of optical connector that has been the primary multiple fiber connector for high-speed telecom and data communications networks. It has been standardized within the IEC 61754-7 and TIA 604-5. This connector and cabling system first supported telecommunications systems especially in the Central and Branch offices. Later it became the primary […]
What developments are impacting Extoll IO connectors and cables?
The current 10Gbps per lane Extoll IO interface system uses high-speed interconnects based on SAMTEC’s HD16 connectors and cable assemblies. This 12 lane connector system was chosen because it is smaller and lighter than the CXP 12 lane InfiniBand connector as has increased port density on the front plate of a network switch. This IO […]
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