12 March 2014

CDFP MSA releases mechanical specifications for 400G interface

The CDFP MSA (multi-source agreement) consortium has released draft mechanical specifications and a drawing for the new CDFP 400Gbps interface. Designed for resource-intensive applications in telecoms, networking and enterprise computing environments, the compact 400Gbps connector form factor aims to enable data rates of 25Gbps over 16 lanes with excellent signal integrity, thermal cooling properties, and EMI protection.

The CDFP MSA consortium has also issued a white paper examining industry trends, potential markets and in-depth specifications of the interoperable CDFP module. The complimentary white paper ‘CDFP Delivers 400 Gbps Today’ is available for download on the CDFP MSA homepage.

CDFP founder-promoters include: Avago Technologies, Brocade Communications, IBM Corp, JDSU, Juniper Networks, Molex Inc, and TE Connectivity. The CDFP roster has expanded to include the following contributing member companies: FCI, Finisar, Huawei, Inphi, Mellanox Technologies, Oclaro, Semtech, and Yamaichi Electronics. The consortium is dedicated to defining specifications and promoting adoption of interoperable 400Gbps hot pluggable modules.

Building on OIF CEI-28G VSR and IEEE 802.3 electrical and optical interface standards, the CDFP mechanical specifications provide a standard connector and module with a pluggable form factor that supports signaling up to 26Gbps per lane with rates scalable up to 400Gbps. The 32mm-pitch CDFP interface enables OEMs to design systems of up to 5 terabytes capacity on one line-card. The connector features a straight, back-route footprint. A gasket provides EMI containment and suppression. Designed to accept a broad range of heat sinks, the press-fit design ensures a robust and simple board termination.

Providing a high level of integration, performance and long-term reliability, the CDFP 400Gbps interface is available in short- and long-body versions. The specifications are compatible for use with direct attach cables, active optical cables (AOCs), and connectorized optical modules. Enabling high port density, the compact module is suited to low-power applications using copper, vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) or silicon photonics based technology. Designed for client-side interfaces inside the data center, the CDFP module will support up to 100m on MMF (multi-mode fiber) and 2km on SMF (single-mode fiber).

The CDFP 400Gbps draft interface mechanical drawings and specifications are available now. Mechanical samples are available from some respective member companies. The CDFP consortium is working to complete the full specification, including memory mapping, within this calendar year.

See related items:

CDFP MSA forming to develop standard transceiver specs for 400G data transmission

Tags: CDFP

Visit: www.cdfp-msa.com