The dramatic increase in the number of users of social media, video streaming, and smartphones is driving the demand for higher network bandwidth in data centers. To accommodate next-generation applications and technologies such as 5G, cloud services, 4K video, and the Internet of Things (IoT), the number of data centers worldwide, footprint, and bandwidth capacity is growing. Global data centers are beginning to grow from 100G to higher speeds, greater bandwidth, and lower latency.
400G has become the next generation backbone upgrade and new construction direction; it will become the inevitable trend of the data center. More and more data center service providers have begun to expand and retrofit existing data centers and upgrade to 400G networks. Driven by data center requirements, transceiver vendors are also expanding their manufacturing capacity to keep pace with the demand for 400Gbps transceivers.
Table of Contents
- What is an OSFP transceiver?
- 400G OSFP transceiver types
- OSFP vs. QSFP-DD, What is the difference?
- Conclusion
There are two form factors for the 400G access networks and data center.
- QSFP-DD (also called QSFP56-DD, stands for Quad Small Form Factor Pluggable Double Density)
- OSFP (for Octal SFP), now we will have an overview of OSFP in this article.
What is OSFP transceiver optics?
OSFP stands for Octal Small Form-factor Pluggable; the OSFP MSA develops it. The OSFP MSA group was founded by Google and is led by Arista Networks. OSFP is a new pluggable form factor that supports eight high-speed electrical lanes that will initially support 400 Gbps (8x50G or 4x100G). It is slightly broader and deeper than the QSFP-DD but still supports 32 OSFP ports per 1U front panel and 14.4 Tbps per 1U swap slot. OSFP optics is designed with improved signal integrity and thermal performance to help the next generation of 800G optics that will use eight lanes of 100Gbps (8x100G), allowing us to upgrade easily from 400G to 800G. The OSFP also offers backward compatibility with 100G QSFP optics.
400G OSFP transceiver optics types
There are eight types of 400G OSFP transceiver optics as below: OSFP SR8, OSFP DR4, OSFP XDR4, OSFP PLR4, OSFP FR4, OSFP LR4, and OSFP 2FR4; the table below summarizes the critical parameters for the different 400G OSFP transceivers.
OSFP vs. QSFP-DD, What is the difference?
- MSA: The OSFP is defined by the OSFP MSA group, while the QSFP-DD MSA alliance defines QSFP56-DD
- Power consumption: OSFP allows higher power consumption of 12~15W, while the QSFP-DD allows lower power consumption of 7~12W.
- Back compatibility: The QSFP-DD is more flexible than OSFP in backward compatibility. Since QSFP-DD with an identical dimension to the QSFP, the QSFP-DD is backward compatible with 40G QSFP+, 100G QSFP28, and 200G QSFP56. While the OSFP transceiver module can not be plugged into the QSFP-DD port, but need additional hardware — a passive OSFP-QSFP adapter.
- OSFP integrates thermal management directly into the form factor, while QSFP-DD does not.
- QSFP-DD and OSFP are suitable for Data Center Interconnect (DCI) applications, including DAC, AOC, and optical connections.
FAQ about OSFP Transceiver
Q: How does the OSFP address the thermal need?
A: The OSFP includes an integrated heatsink, which increases thermal efficiency and allows modules with up to 15W of power to be installed in a switch chassis with conventional airflow.
Q: What about QSFP backward compatibility?
A: Because the OSFP is somewhat broader and deeper than the QSFP, an adapter that supports current 100G QSFP optical modules in an OSFP cage may be built. Backward compatibility is provided via an OSFP to QSFP adaptor.
Q: How about forwarding compatibility?
A: When those systems and optics become available in the future, the OSFP will be able to handle the predicted thermal requirements for 800 Gbps optics.
Q: What is the mission of the OSFP MSA?
The OSFP MSA will specify the OSFP specification, including the mechanical module, card cage, electrical interface, pinout, and management interface.
Q: What is the latest version of OSFP MSA?
The latest version of OSFP MSA is 4.1, and it is released on August 02nd, 2021.
Q: What is the most commonly used type of 400G OSFP transceiver?
The most commonly used 400G OSFP transceiver type is the OSFP SR8, which has a reach of 100m and uses an MPO-16 connector.
Conclusion
400G OSFP transceiver provides a good solution for 400Gbps optical deployments in data centers and broadband access connectivity. More and more 400G OSFP transceivers are continuously introduced to the market, and mass production is gradually realized. It will meet rapidly growing customer demand for analytics, machine learning, and content delivery applications.
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