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Fiber Patch Cable

Selection Guide for 40G
QSFP+ Transceivers
Numerous things need to be planned and designed for 40G migration. Whether the switches can
support such a high speed Ethernet? Which kind of optical transceiver work best on the switches?
Which optical transceiver is more cost-saving? Although most servers provided today can support
40G and 40G QSFP+ transceiver (Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable transceiver) are considered to
be the most economic and effective transceivers for 40G migration, new problem still arises.

Patch Cords Matters to 40G

No matter how advanced the switches are, they all need to be connected together to form the
whole 40G transmission network. To accomplish the connections between these switches, patch
cords are usually linked to fiber optic transceivers which are plugged in Ethernet switches (as shown
in the following picture). The quality of these connections can largely affect the reliability and
stability of the whole 40G network. However, connectivity of 40G is much more complex than ever.
Thus selecting the proper fiber patch cables for 40G network is more difficult and becomes a big
issue in 40G migration. As mentioned, QSFP+ transceivers are suggested for 40G, this article will
provide as detailed as possible about fiber patch cable selection for 40G QSFP+ transceivers.

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Selecting Patch Cords for 40G QSFP+ Transceivers

Patch cords selection is a big issue to 40G not only because the switch connections necessity, but
also because of the transmission principle of the fiber optic signals and the high density trend of
40G transmission. Several important factors should be taken into account when selecting patch
cords for 40G QSFP+ transceivers, which are cable type, connector type and switch port.
Cable Type
Performances of optical signals with different wavelengths are often quite different. Even optical
signals with the same wavelength perform totally different when they run through different fiber
optic cables. Thus, the selection of the cable type is essential.
A typical question our customer asked when buying a fiber optical patch cords for 40G QSFP+
transceiver can illustrate this point clearly. Can a 40GBASE universal QSFP+ transceiver working on
wavelength of 850nm be used with OM1 patch cords? The answer is yes, but not suggested. Why?
As the optical signal transmission distance gets shorter as the data rate increases. The transmission
distance and quality would be limited by using OM1 optical cable with 40G QSFP+ transceiver. OM1
cable is only suggested for 100 Mb/s and 1000Mb/s transmission. Two upgraded cablesOM3 and
OM4 are suggested for 40G QSFP+ transceivers in short distance.
IEEE has announced standards for 40G transmission in both long distance and short distance, which
are 40GBASE-SR4 and 40GBASE-LR4. (SR stands for short-reach and LR stands for long reach). The
former is suggested for 40G transmission over single-mode fiber in long distance up to 10km. The
latter is for 40G transmission in short distance over multimode fiberOM3 (up to 100 meters) and
OM4 (up to 150 meters). OM3 and OM4, which are usually aqua-colored, are accepted economic
solutions for 40G in short distance with lower insertion loss and higher bandwidth.
Connector Type
The connector type of the patch cords should depend on the interface of 40G QSFP+ transceiver.
Currently there are two interfaces commonly adopted by 40G QSFP+ transceiver which are MTP and
LC. Usually 40G QSFP+ transceiver with MPO interface is designed for short transmission distance
and LC for long transmission distance. However, several 40G QSFP+ transceivers like 40GBASE-PLR4
and 40GBASE-PLRL4 have MPO interfaces to support long transmission distance.

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High density is the most obvious characteristic of 40G transmission, which is largely reflected in the
MTP connectors on patch cords used with 40G QSFP+ transceiver. As QSFP+ transceiver uses four
10G channels to achieve the 40G transmission, thus 4 pairs of fibers are used and the 12-fiber MTP
connectors can provide a time-save and stable solution for 40G QSFP+ transceivers. However, for
multi-fiber connection, polarity should be considered for the selection of the patch cord. Here
provide another article named Understanding Polarity in MPO System specifically explained MTP
patch cords polarity for your reference.
However, to meet the market needs, 40G QSFP+ transceiver with LC interface is also available. This
type of QSFP transceiver uses four lanes with each carrying 10G in 1310nm window multiplexed to
achieve 40G transmission. For this type, patch cable with duplex LC connector should be used.
Switch Port
The importance of network flexibility gradually reveals as the speed of Ethernet increases. When it
comes to 40G, network flexibility becomes an urgent issue which is closely related with applications.
Right selection of patch cords for 40G QSFP+ transceiver can increase the network flexibility largely
and effectively. Here offer two most common examples in 40G applications. One is 40G QSFP+ to
40G QSFP+ cabling, the other one is 40G QSFP+ to SFP+ cabling.
For 40G QSFP+ to 40G QSFP+ cabling:

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For distance up to 100m, the 40GBASE-SR4 QSFP+ transceiver can be used with OM3 fiber
patch cable attached with a MPO one each end.

For distance up to 150m, the 40GBASE-SR4 QSFP+ transceiver can be used with OM4 fiber
patch cable attached with a MPO one each end.

For distance up to 10km, the 40GBASE-LR4 QSFP+ transceiver can be used with single-mode
fiber with LC connectors. The picture above shows the transmission of 40GBASE-LR4 QSFP+
transceiver with LC connector over single-mode fiber.

Its very common that 40G ports is needed to be connected with 10G port. In this case, fan out
patch cable with MTP connector on one end and four LC duplex connectors on the other end is
suggested (as shown in picture below).

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Conclusion
Cable type, connector type and switch port in selecting the right patch cords for 40G QSFP+
transceivers are necessary and important. They are closely related to the transmission distance,
network flexibility and reliability of the whole 40G network. But in practical cabling for 40G QSFP+
transceivers, these three factors are far from enough. Planning and designing takes a lot of time and
may not achieve results good enough. However, Fiberstore can solve your problems with
professional one-stop service including the cost-effective and reliable network designing and 40G
products.

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Contact Us
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Technology Park, No.6, Keyuan Road,
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China
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Email: sales@fs.com

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Tel: +44 2081441980

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Notice: This document is for informational purposes only and does not set forth any warranty, expressed or
implied, concerning any equipment, equipment features, or service offered or to be offered by Fiberstore.
Fiberstore reserves the right to make changes to this document at any time, without notice, and assumes no
responsibility for its use. This information document describes features that may not be currently available.
Contact a Fiberstore sales team for information on feature and product availability.

Fiberstore (FS.COM) | Fiber Patch Cable Selection Guide for 40G QSFP+ Transceivers