Guide to Brocade 40G QSFP+ Optics

The 40 Gigabit Ethernet, which can well satisfy the increasing demands for higher throughputs and bandwidth, has been preferred by lots of managers in data center. As one of the most commonly used solutions in 40G network, QSFP+ optics have been paid much attention and their market has been greatly increased in the past years. In order to seize this business opportunity, many world-famous communication industries, such as Cisco, corning, Brocade, are focusing on manufacturing various 40G QSFP+ optics to offer users a lot of flexibility in connectivity. However, with so many QSFP+ optics available on the market, people may not know which one is the most appropriate device for their projects. Thus, today, I am going to introduce some 40G QSFP+ optics, including QSFP+ transceiver and QSFP+ cables, designed by Brocade—a worldwide leader in telecommunication networking, in the following part for your references.

The 40G QSFP+ transceiver and QSFP+ cables provided by Brocade support highly reliable operations in data center networks, and are optimized for Brocade switching platform. They undergo rigorous qualification and certification testing to provide end-to-end solutions that are easier to maintain, helping improve the availability of data center networks and supporting mission-critical applications. Besides, these products have leverage unique design parameters to provide the highest performance with industry-leading Brocade solutions to support business continuity.

To satisfy different demands for users, Brocade has offered many sorts of QSFP+ modules, like 40G-QSFP-SR4, 40G-QSFP-SR4-INT, 40G-QSFP-LM4, and 40G-QSFP-ESR4, etc. Each has different highlights and applications. The part below will briefly introduce several commonly used ones.

40G-QSFP-SR4—Complied with QSFP+ mechanical, optical, and electrical specifications (SFF-8436), Brocade 40G-QSFP-SR4 supports high-speed serial links over multimode optical fiber at a signaling rate of 4×10.3125Gbps. It operates over the wavelength of 850 nm and its maximum supporting link length over OM3 is of up to 100 m, and over OM4 is of up to 150 m. The following image shows the Brocade 40G-QSFP-SR4.

40G-QSFP-ESR4—The Brocade 40G-QSFP-ESR4 transceiver (shown in the picture below) is a hot-swappable, low-voltage (3.3 V) digital diagnostic Ethernet optical transceiver, which is often terminated with industry-standard MTP/MPO 1×8 or 1×12 ribbon cable connector. Compliant with restriction on hazardous substances (RoHs) directive, it can support for interoperability with 10GBase-SR modules up to 300 m over OM3 or 400 m over OM4. Furthermore, 40G-QSFP-ESR4 transceiver can be used with ribbon to duplex fiber breakout cables for connectivity to four 10GBase-SR optical interfaces.

40G-QSFP-LM4—The Brocade 40G-QSFP-LM4 transceiver, part of the Brocade family of optical transceivers, transmits data over both single-mode and multimode fibers with industry-standard LC duplex connectors, operating over the wavelength of 1310 nm. It can support the maximum transmission distance of 140 m on OM3 or 160 m on OM4, and 2 km on 9 microns single-mode fiber. The image of Brocade 40G-QSFP-LM4 is shown below.

40G QSFP+ to QSFP+ DAC Cable—Brocade QSFP+ to QSFP+ DAC cable (see in the picture below) is made of a cable assembly which directly connects into a QSFP+ module at one end and another QSFP+ module at the other end. Compliant with QSFP+ MSA standard, this QSFP+ cable uses high-performance, integrated duplex serial data link for bidirectional communication. It is suitable for in-rack connections between servers and Top-of-Rack (ToR) switches.

40G QSFP+ to 4SFP+ Copper Breakout Cables—Complied with QSFP+ and SFP+ MSA standards, Brocade 40G QSFP+ to 4SFP copper breakout cable is a cable assembly that connects one QSFP+ transceiver and four SFP+ transceivers respectively at either end of this cable. It offers a cost-effective way to connect within racks and across adjacent racks and provides flexibility with a choice of 1-,3- and 5-meter lengths. Here shows a 1m Brocade 40G-QSFP-4SFP-C-0101.

Brocade QSFP+ optics provide state-of-the-art performance, helping IT organizations achieve new levels of infrastructure while expanding application and service capabilities for 40G Ethernet network. FS.COM, as a professional supplier of transceiver modules, offers all the Brocade compatible 40G QSFP+ optics that we have mentioned above. These QSFP+ optics in FS.COM can provide highly compatible, high-performance connectivity to Brocade backbone, director, and switch products. We also have various many other compatible brands QSFP+ optics in stock, like Cisco QSFP-4SFP10G-CU5M. If you have any requirement, please visit FS.COM.