Migration to 400G - Challenges & Solutions!
The rapid surge in demand for bandwidth has pushed data center operators to massive upgradations. There was a time when 10G was popular. Later, 40G replaced the 10G. These days, 100G is one of the most widely used technology. However, 400G is now officially available, and the IEEE is working on 800G. Many data center operators have already started their quest of migration towards 400G, and some are still confused. There are specific challenges involved in this sort of up-gradation. Today, we have decided to provide our readers with some vital information about 40, 100 or 200G to 400G migrations.
40G/100G to 400G Migration Challenges
Well, the 400G is a newer technology, and its backward compatibility with the already existing internetworking infrastructure is an issue. As we all know, completely different form-factors (QSFP-DD, OSFP, CFP8, etc.) are developed for 400G. Unfortunately, OSFP does not support backward compatibility as it is broader and longer than the QSFP.
In terms of backward compatibility, the 400G QSFP-DD is a better choice as QSFP-DD ports are designed to support 100G and 40G pluggable transceivers. Luckily, swift migrations are still possible as we have some great resources available on the market and today we have decided to discuss a few of them. Here, it is essential to know that the CFP8 is not a popular choice because of its extraordinarily larger size.
QSFP-DD Ports Backward Compatibility
As mentioned earlier, a 40G QSFP or 100G QSFP module can be inserted into any QSFP-DD port. In this arrangement, no mechanical adapter is required. However, the QSFP-DD port must be configured appropriately (set the data rate to 40G or 100G as required) as it won’t support 400G in this scenario.
How to Use a QSFP Module in an OSFP Port?
40G or 100G QSFP modules cannot be plugged into an OSFP port directly. It is because of some design features that OSFP ports have. However, this arrangement is possible with the help of a completely passive mechanical adapter.