MTP Trunks and Breakouts for 10G to 40G Migration

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With
the rapid development of datacom, 10Gbps is no longer enough for massive data
transmission. Many data center managers set their sights on 10G to 40G
migration. However, it is not possible to upgrade all 10G equipment in the
cabling system because of the high cost. Therefore, finding a cost-effective
solution for the migration has become a hotspot. We know that MTP cable gains
great popularity among data center managers since it can provide fast
installation, high density and high performance cabling for data centers. By
using MTP trunk cable and MTP breakout cable respectively, there are two
solutions for 10G to 40G migration. And this article is going to share these
two solutions with you: MTP trunks and MTP breakouts.

 

Overview
of MTP Trunk Cable and MTP Breakout Cable

Before
we come to the migration solutions, let’s have a brief overview of MTP trunk
cable and MTP breakout cable. MTP trunk cable, terminated with MTP connectors
at both ends, can create the permanent fiber links between panels in a
structured environment. It is typically used as backbone or horizontal cable
interconnections. With efficient plug and play architecture, MTP trunk cable
can greatly reduce the installation and maintenance costs. In networking
applications, 12-fiber and 24-fiber MTP trunk cables are commonly used: 12-fiber
MTP trunk cable is normally for 40G Ethernet network, while 24-fiber MTP trunk
cable is normally for 100G Ethernet network.Here is a figure of MTO trunk
cables for you.

 

MTP
breakout cable, also named MTP fanout cable or MTP harness
cable, is terminated with a male/female MTP connector on one side and several
duplex LC/SC connectors on the other side, providing a transmission from
multi-fiber cables to individual fibers or duplex connectors. It is typically
used to connect equipment in racks to MTP terminated backbone cables. MTP
breakout cable is designed for high density applications which require high
performance and speedy installation without on-site termination.Here is a
figure of MTP breakout cables for you.

 

MTP
Trunks for 10G to 40G Migration

For
10G to 40G migration, you can use the MTP trunk cable. Also, MTP fiber patch
panel can be used to fulfill the data transmission link. With forty-eight LC
duplex adapters on the front and twelve 8-fiber MTP adapters on the rear, the
high density 40G QSFP+ breakout patch panel acts as a middleman between 10G to
40G connection. The figure below shows the connectivity method. From the left
to the right, four 10G SFP+ transceivers are plugged in the SFP+ interfaces on
the switch on one side, then the SFP+ transceivers are connected with the front
LC ports of MTP fiber patch panel by LC duplex patch cables. With the use of
MTP trunk cable, the rear MTP ports of MTP fiber patch panel are linked with
one 40G QSFP+ transceiver. Finally, the whole optical link is accomplished by
plugging the 40G QSFP+ transceiver in the QSFP+ interface on the switch on the
other side.

 

MTP
Breakouts for 10G to 40G Migration

For
10G to 40G migration, using the MTP breakout cable is a simple way. As shown in
the following picture, four 10G SFP+ transceivers are plugged in the SFP+
interfaces on the switch on one side, while one 40G QSFP+ transceiver is
plugged in the QSFP+ interface on the switch on the other side. Then the MTP to
LC breakout cable connects the four 10G SFP+ transceivers with the 40G QSFP+
transceiver. Finally, the data can be transmitted from 10G switch to 40G switch
through the MTP to LC breakout cable smoothly.