The development of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things poses new challenges to the expansion of data centers. Sparks often collide between technology and cost. While achieving high density and high capacity, it is also necessary to control cost factors. Reasonable wiring is very important. In When wiring, we can choose a combination of high-speed cables and optical module jumpers. This article takes the 10G data center as an example to see how to choose in actual scenarios.

There are two types of 10G SFP+ cables, 10G SFP+ DAC and 10G SFP+ AOC. They and 10G SFP+ optical modules are common optical devices for top-of-rack (ToR) wiring in data centers, and are used to connect small access switches and servers. Among them, 10G SFP+ DAC is used to realize short-distance connection within the rack, while 10G SFP+ AOC is suitable for connection between racks of ToR and EoR switches.

The traditional wiring architecture often adopts centralized wiring, such as EOR and MOR, while the TOR wiring structure adopts point-to-point wiring, which reduces the number of wiring and saves costs to a certain extent. In the design of the TOR structure, at least one switch is placed in each rack, the servers in the rack are usually connected to the switch through copper cables, and the top switches in each rack are connected to each other.

10G SFP+ high-speed cable vs 10G SFP+ optical module vs 10GBASE-T electrical port module: what is the difference

The 10GBASE-T RJ45 module usually uses Cat6a or Cat7 network cable for wiring. The maximum transmission distance at Gigabit rate is 100 meters, and the transmission distance at 10G rate can reach 30-80 meters. In the data center, hundreds of cables are usually required, and the use of cheap network cables can save a lot of cost. In addition, the 10GBASE-T module can maximize the use of existing copper cable structure wiring, which also saves a lot of expenses.

The 10G SFP+ optical transceiver needs to use single-mode or multi-mode fiber patch cords for transmission, and the maximum transmission distance can reach 100 kilometers, but the maintenance cost of the fiber optic cabling system is relatively high.

The SFP+ DAC high-speed cable is the lowest price among the three products. The only disadvantage is that the transmission distance is very limited, and can only transmit up to 10 meters. It is more suitable for wiring connections within and between racks. If the transmission distance is not a factor that must be considered, the SFP+DAC high-speed cable has lower power consumption and lower delay, and is an ideal wiring solution for data center wiring.

10G SFP+ DAC and 10G SFP+ AOC: server-to-switch or switch-to-switch

10G SFP+ DAC usually supports a link length of 7m, and also has the advantages of low power consumption and low latency, so it becomes an ideal choice for connecting servers and switches, while 10G SFP+ AOC supports a link length of up to 100m, and is A low-cost solution to replace the optical module, so it is usually used for the connection between switches.

If you need to realize the connection between the server and the switch within 7m, it is recommended to choose 10G SFP+ DAC. If two switches need to be connected, and the link length is within 100m or a cost-effective 10G SFP+ cable solution is required, then 10G SFP+ AOC may be a more suitable choice.