Panduit, Avago guarantee 550-m multimode fiber reach at 40 Gbps

Panduit Corp. and Avago Technologies Inc. say they have formed an alliance to help organizations save capital expenses in their data center and make it easier to implement advanced network architectures. Specifically, using Panduit’s Signature Core Fiber Optic Cabling System with Avago’s QSFP+ eSR4 pluggable, parallel fiber-optics modules, the companies say they can guarantee a reach of 550 m for 40 Gigabit Ethernet (40GbE) multimode fiber links. The reach exceeds that specified in IEEE 802.3ba for such applications.

“Avago introduced the 40 Gigabit Ethernet eSR4 modules to provide a migration path for data centers to upgrade from 10G to 40G Ethernet and span longer reaches,” said Philip Gadd, vice president and general manager of fiber optics, Avago. “We are happy to be working with Panduit to provide our customers with the longest reach 40 Gigabit Ethernet links possible.”

The Avago Technologies QSFP+ eSR4 is a pluggable, parallel, QSFP+ optical transceiver. It integrates four data lanes in each direction with each lane operating at 10.3125 Gbps, giving an aggregated bandwidth of 40 Gbps, and also can be used for high-density 10 Gigabit Ethernet applications. The QSFP+ eSR4 modules are warranteed by Avago to 400-m multimode fiber link distances based upon generic industry fiber standards. With the Panduit Signature Core Fiber Optic Cabling System, the reach of certain links has been measured to extend beyond 550 m.

Panduit says its Signature Core Fiber Optic Cabling System maintains signal integrity better than all other types of multimode fiber. This enables network architects to deploy less expensive multimode fiber links versus more expensive singlemode links – a savings of thousands of dollars per link, the company says. A reach of 550 m extends the reach of the cabling system to cover virtually all of the fiber optic links within a datacenter. In addition, network architects can now extend the radius of fabric-based architectures that use 40-Gbps uplinks to connect the aggregation and core switching layers out to 550 m, increasing distance and flexibility.

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