Do You Know About Cat 8 Cable?

srijeda , 14.09.2016.

Cat 5e or cat 6 cables now are the mainstream of the copper network solution, but optical technology are progressing to promote higher category copper cables for the increasingly heavy-loaded data center solution. Cat 8 cables lately has been much talked about, especially after the TIA category 8 cabling standard approved. Category 8 is regarded as the next-generation twisted-pair cabling specification for higher data rate, but it is still under development. Here is what we need to know about the basics of Cat 8 cabling.

Main Features of Category 8 Standard

Cat 8 cable is especially designed to support 25G or 40G Ethernet data rate with a link distance of up to 30 meters, which is sufficient for most switch-to-server connections for top-of-rack (ToR), middle-of-row (MoR) or end-of-row (EoR) topologies. In addition, category 8 cabling is fully backward compatible with category 6A cabling, including RJ45 connectivity, and supports all Category 6A applications such as 10GBASE-T for a distance of 100 meters.

Category 8 cabling and components are specified with transmission performance of up to 2 GHz (four times the bandwidth of Category 6 cabling and two times the bandwidth of category 7) with more stringent alien crosstalk requirements. Meeting these requirements requires a shielded cabling system (F/UTP, S/FTP or F/FTP), just as seen in the above picture. What’s more, the cat 8 cables do not need more power to operate over shorter distances for 25GBASE-T/40GBASE-T application. The power needed to transmit a signal 30 meters at 40 Gb/s is approximately the same as the power needed for 10GBASE-T transmission for distances up to 100 meters.

How to Compare Category 8 to Those of Previous-Generation Twisted-pair Cabling Systems—Category 5, 6, 6A, 7, 7A?
The cat 5e cables was introduced in 1999 with the use of 100-meter, 4-connector channel in structure cabling. The primary differences between category systems is the frequency at which the signal is transmitted over the cable. Cat 6 cables are designed to support 10Gbqs with a frequency of 500 MHz. While Category 7/7A as n advanced version of cat 6 cables offers a 100-meter 4-connector channel using shielded cabling, and has been designed to transmit signals at a frequency of 1000 MHz. Even though Category 7/7A operates at the higher frequency, there is no corresponding improvement in data rate over Category 6A because 10GBase-T is still the fastest twisted-pair-based data rate recognized by IEEE 802.3.

Category 8 is a significant departure from previous systems in that it uses a frequency of 2000 MHz, and is limited to a 30-meter 2-connector channel. Unlike Category 5e or Category 6A, which could use either unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) or shielded cable construction, Category 8 will require shielded cabling. The most likely cable construction for Category 8 will be 22-AWG S/FTP cabling. Category 8 is also unique in that the ISO standard will recognize two different classes of product. Class I is based on the traditional RJ45 connector, while Class II will accept non-RJ45 connectors similar to Category 7/7A. While both solutions will offer backward compatibility in terms of transmitting the lower category data rates (1G or 10G), the Class I solution offers a migration path using the RJ45 connector platform. For example, a customer might install a Category 8 jack-to-jack link now, but continue to use Category 6A patch cords until the active equipment is upgraded.

Given Category 8’s Capabilities, Where Is It Most Likely to be Deployed?

Category 8 cabling is designed to support emerging IEEE 25GBase-T and 40GBase-T needed as server-to-access-switch interconnect applications. This need has been identified and available, or under development, over optical fiber links for longer reach (up to 500 meters), or twinax links for short reach (up to 7 meters).

The opportunity for balanced twisted-pair as a cost-effective viable media option for the intermediate distance needs between 5 and 30 meters, sufficient to serve 20 cabinets or racks in a data center, led to the initiation and development of both the IEEE 802.3 application standards and the associated TIA as well as ISO/IEC Category 8 cabling standards.

How to Install Category 8 Cables?

Category 8 will be a shielded, field-terminable, and with a very high bandwidth. Thus there to be at least some improvements made to how jacks are terminated in the field to both meet this new bandwidth and to ensure a good bond with the shield. Additionally, contractors must make sure that the cable is properly grounded. If the connector companies do their job right, grounding the Category 8 cables and connectors will be a seamless process for the installer, which is all based on the RJ45 connector. Any component qualified as a Category 8 component will also meet requirements specified for Category 6A and lower components.

Conclusion

Cat 8 product recently is not available on the market now, but it is believed that in the near future cat 8 related items will be ubiquitous. Cat 8 cabling are meant to support 25GBASE-T and 40GBASE-T specifications, which will greatly propel the development of 25G and 40G network. FS.COM will continue our efforts to stay in close touch with the latest technology and bring you the best products and services. We provide plenty of Cat 5/cat 6/ cat 7 components to meet your special requirement. Besides the copper cables, we also have the fiber optic cables terminated with several connectors like SC fiber patch cord, fiber patch cables LC to LC, LC to LC patch cord and so on. If you want to know more about our products, please sens your request to us.

Oznake: cat8 cable, Cat5e, Cat6, 10Gbase-T, 25GBASE-T

10GbE Interconnect Solutions Overview

četvrtak , 31.03.2016.

New sophisticated networking services, coupled with the increase of Internet users push the Internet traffic to an even higher point, driving the need for increased bandwidth consequently. One Ethernet technology—10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) is adequate for such bandwidth demand, and has become widely available due to the competitive price and performance, as well as its simplified cabling structure.

Several cable and interconnect solutions are available for 10GbE, the choice of which depends on the maximum interconnect distance, power budget and heat consumption, signal latency, network reliability, component adaptability to future requirements, cost. Here cost includes more than what we call the equipment interface and cable cost, but more often the labor cost. Thus, choosing a 10GbE interconnect solution requires careful evaluation of each option against the specific applications. This text aims to introduce two main 10GbE interconnect solutions: fiber optics and copper.

Fiber Optics Solution
Fiber optic cables include single-mode fiber (SMF) and multi-mode fiber (MMF). MMF is larger in diameter than that of single-mode, thus portions of the light beam follow different paths as they bounce back and forth between the walls of the fiber, leading to the possible distorted signal when reach the other end of the cable. The amount of distortion increases with the length of the cable. The light beam follows a single path through thinner single-mode cable, so the amount of distortion is much lower.

The typical 10GBASE port type that uses MMF is 10GBASE-SR which uses 850nm lasers. When used with OM3 MMF, 10GBASE-SR can support 300m-connection distances, and when with OM4 MMF, 400m link length is possible through 10GBASE-SR SFP+ transceiver.

10GBASE-LR (eg. E10GSFPLR), 10GBASE-ER and 10GBASE-ZR are all specified to work via SMF. SMF can carry signals up to 80km, so it is more often used in wide-area networks. But since SMF requires a more expensive laser light source than MMF does, SMF is replaced by MMF when the required connection distance is not so long.

Copper Solution
10GBASE-CX4, SFP+ Direct Attach (DAC) and 10GBASE-T are all specified to operate through copper medium.

10GBASE-CX4
Being the first 10GbE copper solution standardized by the IEEE as 802.3ak in 2002, 10GBase-CX4 uses four cables, each carrying 2.5gigabits of data. It is specified to work up to a distance of 15m. Although 10GBase-CX4 provides an extremely cost-effective method to connect equipment within that 15m-distance, its bulky weight and big size of the CX4 connector prohibited higher switch densities required for large scale deployment. Besides, large diameter cables are purchased in fixed lengths, causing problems in managing cable slack. What’s more, the space isn’t sufficient enough to handle these large cables.

SFP+ DAC
SFP+ Direct Attach Cable (DAC), or called 10GSFP+Cu, is a copper 10GBASE twin-axial cable, connected directly into an SFP+ housing. It comes in either an active or passive twin-axial cable assembly. This solution provides a low-cost and low energy-consuming interconnect with a flexible cabling length, typically 1 to 7m (passive versions) or up to 15m (active versions) in length. Below is the SFP+ to SFP+ passive copper cable assembly with 1m length, 487655-B21, a HP compatible 10GbE cabling product.


10GBASE-T
10GBASE-T, known as IEEE 802.3an-2006, utilizes twisted pair cables and RJ-45 connectors over distances up to 100m. Cat 6 and Cat 6a are recommended, with the former reaching the full length at 100m, and the latter at 55m. In a word, 10GBASE-T permits operations over 4-connector structured 4-pair twisted-pair copper cabling for all supported distances within 100m. Besides, 10GBASE-T cabling solution is backward-compatible with 1000BASE-T switch infrastructures, keeping costs down while offering an easy migration path from 1GbE to 10GbE.

Conclusion
In summary, two main media options are available for 10GbE interconnect: copper and fiber optics, including 10GBASE-CX4, SFP+ DAC, 10GBASE-T, 10GBASE-SR, 10GBASE-LR, 10GBASE-ER, 10GBASE-ZR, and so on. Fiberstore offers all these 10GBASE SFP+ modules and cables for your 10GbE deployment, which are quality-assured and cost-effective, like E10GSFPLR and 487655-B21 mentioned above. For more information about 10GbE interconnect solutions, you can visit Fiberstore.

Oznake: SMF, MMF, 10GBASE-LR, E10GSFPLR, SFP+ DAC, 487655-B21, 10Gbase-T

Why Choose 10GBASE-T Interface for 10GbE Infrastructure?

četvrtak , 10.03.2016.

The increasing availability of virtualization applications and unified networking infrastructure puts extreme input/output (I/O) demands on 1 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE), making data centers facing bandwidth challenges. Deploying 10GbE infrastructure can address these problems by delivering greater bandwidth, simplifying network, and lowering power consumption.

Well, the deployment of 10GbE requires cost-effective solution. In general, there are several 10GbE interfaces to choose from, including CX4, SFP+ fiber, SFP+ Direct Attach Copper (DAC), and 10GBASE-T. As for CX4, it’s an older technology that does not meet high density requirements. Although most deployment chooses SFP+ fiber (eg. F5-UPG-SFP+-R) solution, fiber is in no case cost-effective. Besides, SFP+ DAC is limited by its short reach. In such a case, 10GBASE-T is selected as the less power-consuming and cost-saving solution for 10GbE. This article details at what are the reasons that drive the 10GBASE-T to become the suitable 10GbE media option.

Firstly, let’s figure out what is 10GBASE-T. 10GBASE-T, or IEEE 802.3an-2006, is a standard released in 2006 to provide 10Gbit/s connections over unshielded or shielded twisted pair cables, with distances up to 100 meters (330 ft) with RJ45 connectors. 10GBASE-T cable infrastructure can also be used for 1000BASE-T, allowing a gradual upgrade from 1000BASE-T using auto-negotiation to select which speed to use.

Listed below are several reasons why 10GBASE-T become the 10GbE media option.

Flexibility in Reach
Like other copper network implementations using BASE-T standards, 10GBASE-T works for link lengths up to 100 meters, giving network designers a far greater level of flexibility in connecting devices in the data center. Able to realize flexible reach, 10GBASE-T can accommodate either top of the rack, middle of row, or end of the row network topologies, making server placement even more easy and convenient.

Backward Compatibility
10GBASE-T is backward-compatible with existing 1GbE networks, meaning that it can be deployed based on existing 1GbE switch infrastructures in data centers that are cabled with CAT6 and CAT6A (or above) cabling. In other words, when migrating from 1GbE to 10GbE, 10GBASE-T provides an easy path, saving cost.

Reduction in Power Consumption
In widespread deployment of 10GbE networks using 10GBASE-T interface, one challenge lies in the fact that the early physical layer interface chips (PHYs) consumed too much power. The original gigabit chips were roughly 6.5 Watts per port. With technology improvements, the chips improved from one generation to the next, leading to less 1 W per port for 1GbE interfaces. It’s the same with 10GBASET. And owing to the manufacturing processes, the 10GBASE-T reduction in power consumption has been made possible. The figure below shows the relationship between power consumption and wavelength.



When 10GBASE-T adapters were first introduced in 2008, they required 25 W of power for a single port, and later, power has been reduced thanks to the successive generations of developing newer and smaller process technologies. The latest 10GBASE-T adapters require less than 6 W per port,which makes 10GBASE-T suitable for motherboard integration and high-density switches.

Latency
Depending on packet size, latency for 10GBASE-T ranges from just over 2 µs to less than 4 µs—a much tighter latency range. For Ethernet packet sizes of 512 bytes or larger, 10GBASE-T’s overall throughput offers an advantage over 1000BASE-T. Latency for 10GBASE-T is more than three times lower than 1000BASE-T with larger packet sizes. For those enterprise applications that have been operating for years with 1000BASE-T latency, 10GBASE-T latency only makes things better. Many products designed for Local Area Network (LAN) purposely add small amounts of latency to reduce power consumption or CPU overhead.

Broad use of 10GBASE-T interface simplifies data center infrastructures, making it easier to manage server connectivity while delivering the bandwidth needed for heavily virtualized servers and I/O-intensive applications. As the cost continues to fall, and new technological processes further lower power consumption, all these make 10GBASE-T suitable for integration on server motherboards.

Conclusion
10GBASE-T offers the flexible reach, and its backward compatibility with existing 1GbE networks makes it the ideal cost-effective media option for 10GbE infrastructure. As a professional fiber optic product manufacturer and supplier, Fiberstore provides countless 10GBASE-T transceivers for 10GbE applications. Of course, besides 10GBASE-T, other 10GBASE standard transceivers also available in Fiberstore, such as 10GBASE-ER SFP+ (J9153A). For more information about 10GbE interfaces, you can visit Fiberstore.

Originally published at www.fiber-optic-components.com/why-choose-10gbase-t-interface-for-10gbe-infrastructure.html

Oznake: CX4, SFP+ fiber, F5-UPG-SFP+-R, SFP+ DAC, 10Gbase-T, 10GBASE-ER SFP+, J9153A