Multimode Fiber is still the front runner in modern Enterprise Data Centers as it provides a low-cost way to transport high data rates over relatively shorter or smaller distances. MMF has evolved from being optimized for multi-megabit-per-second transmission using LED light sources to being optimized for supporting multi gigabit transmission using 850m VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser), which tend to be more affordable than their single mode counterparts.
Pluggable coherent optics are now being developed for 400G applications with two distinct streams emerging. One is high performance CFP2 based for 1000+km reach and multi-service applications and the other is QSFP-DD ZR (and perhaps OSFP) for DCI and metro Ethernet applications. Both streams present new challenges for test and measurement, not just to meet the demanding technical specifications but also to ensure pain-free integration and deployment in an open ecosystem.
Join Corning for a complimentary six-part Live Webinar Series on “Staying Connected with the Data Center.” This series aims to provide quality training in the latest applications and solutions in the Data Center world, while also sharing best practices to make better informed decisions on meeting bandwidth requirements both now and in the future. Topics include scaling from 10G to 400G, the technology roadmap for optical transceivers, and what considerations data center infrastructure professionals should keep in mind to enable this evolution.
Fujikura Europe’s 90R mass fusion splicers can significantly reduce overall work time, improve network performance, increase capacity, and reduce network congestion. The splicers can significantly shorten overall work time compared with the company’s earlier 70R+ models.
Advanced Energy’s Artesyn Embedded Power product group is introducing a new Open Compute Project Open Rack version 3 (OCP ORv3) power shelf, designed to support the move to 48-volt data center infrastructure. Moving from 12-volt to 48-volt power distribution reduces the current draw by a factor of four and reduces conduction losses by a factor of 16. This results in significantly better thermal performance, smaller busbars and increased efficiency.
The Siemon Company, a global provider of innovative network cabling solutions, today announced a new sales partnership with Keating Technologies to drive the continued growth of Siemon’s business in Canada. This national agreement with Keating will allow Siemon to integrate their channel expertise with Siemon’s sales resources to drive additional growth and better serve Canadian customers.
The high demand for technologies for faster FO data transmission in hyperscale data centers has triggered a whole range of developments. The manufacturer consortia – called MSAs (Multi-Source Agreements) – are working at high pressure on new specifications, which focus on the roadmap from 400 to 800 Gigabit Ethernet (800G). The cloud industry is waiting for new, faster optical connectivity. It is expected that cloud companies will need usable 800G modules by 2023-2024 to be able to increase the transmission performance in their data centers.
Swedish optical connectivity developer Pro Optix has announced a pair of WDM series. The Pro MINI high-density series and the Pro NANO ultra-high-density series provide data center network operators with densities that are 300% and 600% greater, respectively, than traditional WDM alternatives, the company asserts.
Arguably the biggest challenge for hyperscalers is continuity and, by association, reliability. New findings generated by a survey from Uptime Institute revealed that over 10% of all respondents said their most recent reportable outage cost them more than $1m in direct and indirect costs. On March 13th, 2019, Facebook suffered its worst-ever outage, affecting the estimated 2.7 billion users of its core social network, Instagram and messaging applications, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp. By extrapolating the company’s 2018 revenue figures, CCN estimated that the blackout could have cost Facebook up to $90 million in lost revenue based on an income of $106,700 per minute. With so many businesses relying on hyperscale data centers to provide the IT backbone to their operations, any downtime can have a substantial impact and sometimes catastrophic ramifications.
Major cloud providers are having trouble getting basic components for new data centers so they’ve put off some construction plans, but they have enough surplus capacity already to ride out the problem. Limiting construction are a scarcity of fiber optics, batteries, and racks.
