Modern data centers consist of hundreds of subsystems connected with optical transceivers, copper cables, and industry standards-based connectors. As data demands escalate, it drives the throughput of these interconnects to increase rapidly, making the maximum reach of copper cabling very short. At the same time, data centers are expanding in size, with nodes stretching further apart. This is making longer-reach optical technologies much more popular. However, optical interconnect technologies are more costly and complex than copper with many new buzz-words and technology concepts.
The rate of change from the vast uptick in data demand accelerates new product development at an incredible pace. While much of the enterprise is still on 10/40/100GbE and 128GFC speeds, the optical standards bodies are beginning to deliver 800G, with 1.6Tb transceivers in discussion! The introduction of new technologies creates a paradigm shift that requires changes and adjustments throughout the network.
There’s a lot to keep up with. That’s why on October 19, 2021 the SNIA Network Storage Forum is hosting a live webcast, “Next-generation Interconnects: The Critical Importance of Connectors and Cables.” In this session, our experts will cover the latest in the impressive array of data center infrastructure components designed to address expanding requirements for higher-bandwidth and lower-power. Including defining new terminology and addressing the next-generation copper and optics solutions required to deliver high signal integrity, lower-latency, and lower insertion loss to achieve maximum efficiency, speed, and density. Register today. We look forward to seeing you on October 19th.
Hi team,
At around 36 – 37 mins of the video, the presenter is discussing transceivers and AOCs and how they are implemented in the datacenter. A comment is made re. the AOC;
“it’s an electrical test instead of an optical test”.
I’m confused by this as why would the AOC be tested via an electrical test, and not an optical test? The transceivers at either end of the optical cable have an electrical interface (host facing) and an optical interface (media / cable facing).
Please clarify.
“Great question! First, let’s review a key difference between the pluggable optical transceiver and the active optical cable (AOC), see slide 13/22/34. The pluggable optical transceiver is separable from the fiber medium that routes through a rack or building or cableway; the transceiver can be unplugged from the fiber. This means that a pluggable optical transceiver has two different types of interfaces: one side is electrical that faces the host ASIC while the other side is optical and connects to the fiber. An AOC is _not_ separable from the fiber medium – it is one assembly with a plug-to-fiber-to-plug structure. This means that an AOC has only one type of interface (electrical to the host) because the optical interface is not accessible.
Therefore, the testing of pluggable optical transceivers requires checking both the electrical and optical interfaces while the AOC only needs electrical testing.”