The challenges of building and maintaining Fiber Optic connectivity in the modern Data Center HUBER+SUHNER AG Phil Ward
What is our common Global Objective? To connect different types of equipment together in a way which is: Logical for repeatability and traceability Fast - to reduce time for Moves, Adds and Changes Easy for easy operation and maintenance Safe - to reduce risk of failure and downtime Cost Effective at a reasonable cost OPEX/CAPEX High Performance will it actually work? Permanent & Flexible So it lasts for up to 25 years 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 2
Pros and cons of direct patching Logical? Does it follow the recommendations of Standardisation bodies allowing for scalability & future proofing? Fast? Every new connection has to be routed across Data Center Easy? Planning, installation and traceability is poor Safe? Every Move, Add and Change has a risk to pre-installed cables! Cost Effective? Hardware is cheap but OPEX is extremely high High Performance? As long as there is no damage during lifecycle yes Permanent & Flexible? Will it allow easy upgrades in hardware, data rates and technology changes? 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 3
Main Distribution Area Cross-Connect & Centralised Patching 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 4
What are the benefits? Logical? The Centralised Cross-Connect follows the recommendations of all of the Standardisation bodies Fast? High-density cables are permanently installed between crossconnect and zone/racks. Patching is made in LiSA rack so very fast. Easy? Everything is traceable by colour and you make all patches in the centralised rack. Two different patch cord lengths for all connections. Safe? The high-density cable between LiSA rack and zone/eq rack is permanent so there is no need to disrupt pre-installed cables. 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 5
What are the benefits? Cost Effective? Hardware is more expensive but benefit comes from reduced installation time, servicing time and less failures. High Performance? A high-performance cable system and link design will deliver the required application under budget. Permanent & Flexible? Will it allow easy upgrades in hardware, data rates and technology changes? Depending on design, YES! 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 6
Centralised Cross-connect - Server Fusion Splicing Loose-tube cable 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 7
Centralised Cross-connect - Server Fusion Splicing Benefits + Low cost hardware Best optical performance 0.02dB Repeatable & proven connectivity method Space efficient (in basket/containment) No cable storage needed Weaknesses - No flexibility (evolving Data Center) Long installation time Requires trained installers Expensive splicing equipment No clear migration path to higher data rates 40G/100G!! 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 8
Centralised Cross-connect - Server MPO Pre-terminated Cable Systems to HD Panel 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 9
Centralised Cross-connect - Server MPO Pre-terminated Cable Systems to HD Panel Benefits + Fast installation No special tooling or training Scalable and flexible High density Weaknesses - Higher optical loss (0.4dB per channel but maximum CIL typically 2.6dB so not a problem) Polarity planning can be complex Requires careful cable length planning Clear migration path to higher data rates 40G/100G Migration path is not as simple as it seems! No polarity issues 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 10
1 / 10 GbE Serial Connectivity MPO 6 channels of 1 / 10Gbs TX / RX v 1 / 10 Gb/s Links Trunk-Interface: 12 Fiber MPO, 6 x 1Gbs or 6 x 10 Gb/s Transceiver-Interface: LC Duplex, 1 x 1Gbs or 1 x 10Gbs v 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 11
40 GbE, 100 GbE Connectivity MPO fibre assignment for 40 GbE (8 fibres, 4 x 10 Gb/s) TX RX 40GBASE-SR4 transceiver receptacle (CFP, QSFP+ Module) MPO fibre assignment for 100 GbE (2 x 10 fibres, 10 fibres x 10 Gb/s) TX RX MPO fibre assignment for 100 Gb/s (1 x 20 fibres, 2 rows 2 x 10 fibres x 10 Gb/s) RX TX 100GBASE-SR10 transceiver receptacle (CFP, CXP Module) 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 12
40 GbE MPO Connectivity 40 Gb/s Link trunk-interface: 1 x 12 fibre MPO (4 unused fibers) transceiver-interface: 1 x 8 fiber MPO 40 Gb/s Link trunk-interface: 1 x 24 fibre MPO (0 unused fibers) transceiver-interface: 3 x 8 fiber MPO 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 13
100 GbE MPO Connectivity 100 Gb/s Link trunk-interface: 2 x 12 fibre MPO, (4 unused fibers) transceiver-interface: 1 x 20 fiber MPO 100 Gb/s Link trunk-interface: 1 x 24 fiber MPO, (4 unused fibers) transceiver-interface: 1 x 20 fibre MPO 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 14
Fibre Connectivity for 10 GbE Parallel Optics & LC-Duplex Patching Cross-Connect 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 15
40 GbE Evolution Parallel Optics, 12 MPO Trunks, 8-way MPO Patching 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 16
40 GbE Evolution Parallel Optics, 24 MPO Trunks, 8-way MPO Patching 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 17
Evolution to 40 GbE, 100 GbE Parallel Optics, 24 MPO Trunks, 24-way MPO Patching 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 18
Centralised Cross-connect - Server Over-head/under-floor Zone Approach 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 19
Centralised Cross-connect - Server Over-head/under-floor Zone Approach Benefits + Follows the standards recommendations Allows high degree of flexibility Easy to access above racks (overhead) Hidden under the floor (under-floor) Allows mixing of copper and fiber Free s up valuable space in server racks Supports Top of Rack, End of Row architecture Weaknesses - Connectivity is not well protected Single point of failure Patchcords run long distances Many different lengths of patchcords Cables are often not well protected Requires careful cable length planning Working at height (on ladder) 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 20
Centralised Cross-connect-Switch MPO Pre-terminated Cable Systems to HD Panel 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 21
Centralised Cross-connect-Switch MPO Pre-terminated Cable Systems to HD Panel Benefits + Port by port scalability No single point of failure Patchcords are widely available Weaknesses - Long installation time Patchcords require alot of space Patch panels require alot of space Difficult to access connectors 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 22
Centralised Cross-connect-Switch High Density Blade Organiser (Cartridge/Open Type) 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 23
Centralised Cross-connect-Switch High Density Blade Organiser (Cartridge/Open Type) Benefits + Small footprint (only 2U high) Up to 512 ports in a single chassis Fast install time Central aperture for power/icl/copper cables Flexible (direct connect or MPO) No slack storage of cables Easy traceability Exceptional access Weaknesses - Long installation time Patchcords require a lot of space Patch panels require a lot of space Difficult to access connectors 4656 RHJ - Aug. 2013 24