Panduit announced that its Signature Core fiber-optic cabling system enables Cisco’s 40G BiDi optical modules to reach 150 meters, and is the only multimode fiber that allows Cisco to achieve this capability today.
Cisco recently launched the new 40G Ethernet bidirectional optical module, dubbed BiDi, providing another option in addition to the 40G Ethernet QSFP+ optical modules. The 40G BiDi optical module supports 40G Ethernet over one pair of multimode fiber while allowing 40G Ethernet to be deployed using the exact infrastructure as 10G Ethernet (10GBASE-SR). The 40G BiDi conforms to the QSFP+ Multi-Source Agreement (MSA).
According to the companies, using the Signature Core fiber-optic cabling system with Cisco’s 40G BiDi optical modules gives data center network architects and managers another option for deploying 40G Ethernet in addition to 40GBASE-SR4. Panduit notes that its Signature Core system compensates for both modal and chromatic dispersion to provide verified optical performance and signal integrity beyond 10/40/100 Gb/s Ethernet and 8/16 Gb/s Fiber Channel standards requirements.
Cisco contends that the BiDi modules reduce the cost of deploying 40G Ethernet by over 60% versus 40GBASE-SR modules and do not require expensive components for their infrastructure to migrate to 40G Ethernet. When used with the modules, Panduit's Signature Core fiber-optic cabling is intended to provide a lower cost alternative to the more expensive single mode fiber 40GBASE-LR links within the data center.
The Signature Core Fiber Optic Cabling System includes trunks, patch cords, cassettes, and harnesses, which are all available now. “Panduit is proud to be part of Cisco’s BiDi ecosystem,” concludes Jack Tison, chief technology officer at Panduit.
Related: Panduit demos 40-GbE transmission over 1-km multimode fiber