Recently, short-reach 100G QSFP28 and 40G QSFP+ optical modules are widely used in data center applications. In general, 12-pin patch cords with MPO female connectors are used for the aforementioned types of optical modules. On the other hand; single-mode fiber patch cords with duplex LC connectors are used for long-distance QSFP28 optical modules and QSFP+ optical modules. In all of these applications, either OM3 or OM4 fiber can be used. In this article, we will discuss cabling solutions for QSFP28 optical modules and QSFP+ optical modules.
Available types of QSFP28 optical modules and QSFP+ optical modules
There are five common variants of 40G QSFP+ optics for short to long reach applications. For 40G QSFP+, the minimum and maximum link distances are 100m and 40km. And there are two types of 100G QSFP optical modules available. The following table contains summary information about the different available standards for fiber optic cable connection options for QSFP28 and QSFP+ optical modules:
Optical Module Information
12 Fiber Patch Cord with MPO/MTP Connector
12-fiber patch cords with MPO connectors are widely used to interconnect two similar types of optical modules, as shown in the following figure:
mpo jumper interconnection
In addition to that; fiber patch cords can also be used to interconnect 4x10GBASE-LR optical modules such as 40GBASE-PLR4 and 40GBASE-PLRL4. This way, splitting the signal into four separate signals can be avoided, as one fiber bundle will be used as a single 10G transmission channel. Knowing the correct polarity of jumper wires is crucial here. On a 12-pin jumper, the MTP or MPO connector should remain in the up key position. When multiple patch panels are installed between two QSFP28 or QSFP+ optical modules, the correct polarity should be maintained throughout the fiber optic installation.
Multimode OM3 12-pin MTP jumper
•100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 70m
• 40GBASE-SR4 QSFP+ 100m
Multimode OM4 12-pin MTP jumper
•100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 100m
• 40GBASE-SR4 QSFP+ 150m
Single-mode 12-pin MTP/MPO jumper
• 40GBASE-PLR4 QSFP+ 2km • 40GBASE-PLRL4 QSFP+ 1km
mpo jumper connection
12-Pin Breakout Cable with MTP-LC Duplex Type Connector
These cables are widely used to connect 4x10GBASE-SR or 4x10GBASE-LR optical modules to four individual 10GBASE-SR SFP+ or 10GBASE-LR optical modules. The 12 fiber optic branch cables consist of 12 jumpers. This fiber optic cable splits a single cable with an MTP connector on one end into 4 different fiber optic pairs and 4 separate LC duplex connectors on the other end.
Multimode OM3 12-core MTP-LC branch line
•100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 70m
• 40GBASE-SR4 QSFP+ 100m
Multimode OM4 12-core MTP-LC branch line
•100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 100m
• 40GBASE-SR4 QSFP+ 150m
Single-mode 12-core MTP-LC branch line
• 40GBASE-PLR4 QSFP+ 2km
• 40GBASE-PLRL4 QSFP+ 1km
LC duplex jumper
Single-mode patch cords with duplex LC connectors are used to connect two optical modules of similar type, for example: 100GBASE-LR4-to100GBASE-LR4 or 40GBASE-LR4-to-40GBASE-LR4. This cable consists of a pair of fibers with 2 LC duplex connectors on each end.
Single Mode LC Duplex Jumper
• 100GBASE-LR4 QSFP28 10km
• 40GBASE-ER4 QSFP+ 40km
• 40GBASE-LR4 QSFP+ 10km
