Siemons DACs and AOCs elevate data centre connectivity for next-gen speeds
The need for higher data transmission speeds is swiftly increasing. While 400 Gigabit speeds are gradually being adopted for uplinks between switch tiers to handle the growing amount of data, server connections are under increased pressure to keep up with e-commerce and emerging technologies. To support applications such as advanced data analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence and high-resolution video content, data centre server connections must provide more bandwidth and lower latency.
Data centre professionals should therefore consider deploying high-performance Direct Attach Copper Cables (DACs) or Active Optical Cables (AOCs) when migrating server connections to next-generation speeds. These solutions can deliver performance, reliability, scalability and power efficiencies to cost- effectively adopt these emerging technologies, reported Narender Vasandani, Siemon’s technical services group manager for IMEA.
DACs and AOCs are specifically suited in data centres that rely on a top-of-rack (ToR) switching architecture, such as hyperscale, cloud and colocation locations and large enterprise data centres. In a ToR configuration these cables connect the switch located at the top of each rack with active equipment (e.g. server or storage devices) in the same or in adjacent racks. They support transmission speeds from 10Gb/s to 100Gb/s for when data
centres are upgrading their network equipment from 10Gb/s to 25 and 100Gb/s. For scalability and further growth, they can support 25 and 100 Gig switch connections with backward compatibility.
SFP+ DACs for example are well suited in direct short-reach connections from ToR switches where lengths are less than seven metres. They require less power per port and offer lower latency than a structured cabling 10GBASE-T solution. This makes DACs ideal for any current or future application where latency is a concern and where high port counts can add up to significant power savings.
Large enterprise data centers are now adopting 25 Gb/s server connection speeds and can benefit from using SFP28 DACs. These SFP28 DACs utilise the same form factor as SFP+ DACs, supporting 25 Gb/s. The advantages of reduced power consumption, lower latency, and lower costs remain consistent at these speeds.
Explore Siemon's data center connectivity in detail in the latest edition of Communications Africa here.
