阅读说明：本技术 超规模光子连接性解决方案 (Superscale photonic connectivity solutions ) 是由 特雷尔·莫里斯 丹尼尔·A·贝尔克拉姆 于 2019-08-06 设计创作，主要内容包括：本公开提供了使用现有服务器连接以采用超规模光子连接性的有效解决方案。本公开所描述的解决方案消除了机架顶交换机，并且利于服务器直接连接至中间排交换机的方式。按照本公开的装置包括初级收发器设备。初级服务器端收发器设备包括光子收发器和第一电发射器。所述装置进一步包括第一次级服务器端收发器设备，所述第一次级服务器端收发器设备包括第二电发射器。另外，第一电缆将所述初级服务器端收发器电耦接至所述第一次级服务器端收发器设备。本公开能够使用输入光纤连接和光子收发器以实现不同服务器上的两组电连接。(The present disclosure provides an efficient solution to use existing server connections to employ superscale photonic connectivity. The solution described in this disclosure eliminates the rack top switch and facilitates the way in which servers connect directly to the middle tier switch. An apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a primary transceiver device. The primary server-side transceiver device includes a photonic transceiver and a first electrical transmitter. The apparatus further comprises a first secondary server-side transceiver device comprising a second electrical transmitter. Additionally, a first cable electrically couples the primary server-side transceiver to the first secondary server-side transceiver device. The present disclosure can use an input fiber optic connection and a photonic transceiver to enable two sets of electrical connections on different servers.)

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a primary server-side transceiver device comprising a photonic transceiver and a first electrical transmitter;

a first secondary server-side transceiver device comprising a second electrical transmitter; and

a first cable electrically coupling the primary server-side transceiver device to the first secondary server-side transceiver device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second secondary server-side QSFP compliant device electrically connected to the primary server-side transceiver device by a second cable.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second secondary server-side QSFP compliant device electrically connected to the first secondary server-side transceiver device by a second cable, wherein the first cable comprises a first bundle of electrically conductive wires facilitating electrical connection between the primary server-side transceiver device and the first secondary server-side transceiver device and a second set of electrically conductive wires facilitating electrical connection between the primary server-side transceiver device and the second secondary server-side transceiver device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the primary server-side transceiver device is sparse wavelength division multiplexing, CWDM, compatible.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the primary server-side transceiver device comprises a duplex fiber optic connection.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the primary server-side transceiver device is to provide the electrical signaling to a first server, and the first secondary server-side transceiver device is to provide the electrical signaling to a second server.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first secondary server-side transceiver device is to provide backup power to the primary server-side transceiver device via the first cable.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the primary server-side transceiver device is QSFP-compliant.

9. A server system, comprising:

a first server comprising:

a first transceiver port; and

a first network interface card NIC;

a second server comprising:

a second transceiver port, and

a second network interface card NIC; and

a first dual-group server-side transceiver device comprising:

a primary server-side transceiver device physically connected to the first transceiver port of the first server and electrically coupled to the first NIC; and

a secondary server side transceiver device physically connected to the second transceiver port of the second server and electrically coupled to the second NIC, the secondary server side transceiver device for connection to the primary server side transceiver device by a first cable.

10. The server system of claim 9, wherein the primary server-side transceiver device comprises a multi-way parallel optimized MPO connector.

11. The server system of claim 9, wherein the first cable is to facilitate transmission of the converted electrical signals from the primary server-side transceiver device and the secondary server-side transceiver device.

12. The server system of claim 9, further comprising a switch optically coupled to the primary server-side transceiver device.

13. A redundant server system comprising:

a first server comprising:

a first QSFP port; and

a second QSFP port;

a second server comprising:

a third QSFP port; and

a fourth QSFP port; and

a first dual group server side QSFP compliant device comprising:

a first server-side QSFP compliant device coupled to a second server-side QSFP compliant device by a first cable, the first server-side QSFP compliant device connected to the first QSFP port of the first server, and the second server-side QSFP compliant device electrically coupled to the third QSFP port of the second server.

14. The redundant server system of claim 12 further comprising:

a second group of server-side QSFP-compliant devices, comprising:

a third server-side QSFP compliant device coupled to a fourth server-side QSFP compliant device by a second cable, the third server-side QSFP compliant device connected to the second QSFP port of the first server, and the fourth server-side QSFP compliant device electrically coupled to the fourth QSFP port of the second server.

15. The redundant server system of claim 12 wherein each of said first QSFP port, said second QSFP port, said third QSFP port and said fourth QSFP port is capable of emitting four colors of light per direction per port.

16. The redundant server system of claim 12 wherein each of said first QSFP port, said second QSFP port, said third QSFP port and said fourth QSFP port has a data transmission bandwidth between 200 Gbps-400 Gbps.

17. The redundant server system of claim 12 wherein said first dual-server-side QSFP-compliant device and said second dual-server-side QSFP-compliant device are operable to provide electrical signaling to said first server and said second server in accordance with a PAM-4 electrical transmission protocol.

18. The redundant server system of claim 12 wherein said first server-side QSFP-compliant device is operable to transmit approximately half of the converted electrical signal to said second server-side QSFP-compliant device.

19. The redundant server system of claim 12 wherein said first server-side QSFP-compliant device comprises at least one optical input port and at least one optical output port.

20. The redundant server system of claim 12 wherein said first server-side QSFP-compatible device is electrically coupled to a first network interface card NIC of said first server and said second server-side QSFP-compatible device is electrically coupled to a second NIC of said second server.

Background

As many computers, particularly servers, are deployed in large-scale (large-scale) or super-scale (super-scale) data center applications, the need to interconnect these computers on a large scale (massive scale) and to connect these computers to the outside world has driven changes in data center network topology and policies.

Two major drivers of cost and performance in these large networks are the network topology and the photonic interconnections between them. The trend is to utilize many low-cost, low-radix switches that are connected to other low-radix switches via many connections of both copper and light. As networks increase efficiency by increasing data rates, the distance that copper cables can traverse has decreased. As a result, the ratio of copper cable to fiber optic cable (optical cable) has tended to favor fiber optic cables more and more.

Drawings

For a more complete understanding of this disclosure, examples in accordance with the various features described herein may be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals identify like structural elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system including a pair of middle-of-row (MOR) switches redundantly connected to server systems within a rack, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a pair of MOR compatible photonic transceiver devices optically coupled to a quad small form-factor pluggable QSFP compatible photonic (photonic) transceiver group;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a dual set of server-side QSFP compliant device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary internal photonic engine of a primary QSFP-compliant transceiver device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a set of server-side QSFP compliant devices according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a hybrid server-side QSFP compliant device adapted to employ a hardware configuration of three servers per rack or shelf in a rack according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

7A-7B are schematic diagrams of another hybrid server-side QSFP compliant device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a server system showing the MOR switch to server and transceiver to server optical connections (connections) and electrical connections, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The description of the different advantageous embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. Further, the different advantageous embodiments may provide different advantages as compared to other advantageous embodiments. The embodiment or embodiments selected are chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the disclosure for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

Before the present disclosure is described in detail, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to particular processes or articles, whether described or not, unless expressly stated otherwise. It is to be further understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

It should be noted that, as used herein and in the claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system 100 including a pair of middle rank (MOR) switches 101 and 102 directly and redundantly connected to a server rack 105 within the rack, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

The MOR switches 101 and 102 include MOR-compatible optical transmitters 106 and 107. In some embodiments, the MOR compatible optical transmitters 106 and 107 apply sparse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) photonic (photonic) technology and may have one or more optical connections. Alternatively, the MOR compatible optical transmitter may have a plurality of optical cables in a bundle or ribbon (ribbon) that each produce the same wavelength. In the illustrated embodiment, each MOR-compatible optical transmitter 106 and 107 may have 24 electrical channels per direction. By employing a four wavelength CWDM implementation, all 24 channels can be deployed in six fibers per direction (optical fiber). However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present disclosure is not so limited. MOR compatible optical transmitters 106 and 107 may transmit optical signals (signals) to photonic transceiver devices attached to the server.

Fig. 1 further illustrates a server rack 105 housing a plurality of servers 114 and 115, which plurality of servers 114 and 115 may be equipped with dual group server-side QSFP compliant devices 103 and 104.

QSFP-compliant is defined herein as a device configured to operate in whole or in part according to QSFP, QSFP-DD, or OSFP specifications. For example, QSFP compliant devices may be QSFP form-and-size (form-factor) compliant, QSFP electrical signaling (signaling) compliant, etc., so long as the devices operate within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, a group of server-side transceiver devices is QSFP, QSFP-DD, or OSFP-compliant if the group conforms to the form-size and electrical signaling requirements of the QSFP, QSFP-DD, or OSFP specifications. However, these server-side transceiver devices may employ cable routing configurations that deviate from cable (cable) routing requirements defined in one or more of the QSFP, QSFP-DD, or OSFP specifications.

The server-side QSFP compliant devices 103 and 104 may each be used to convert the optical signals 108 and 109 to electrical signals 110, 111, 112, 113 that may be received by a Network Interface Card (NIC) or other network adapter device connected to the servers 114 and 115. One exemplary connection for these devices is in the form of a card inside the server enclosure, but other mechanisms are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The server-side QSFP compliant devices 103 and 104 will be physically mounted into QSFP ports of the server housings 114 and 115. In some embodiments, a pair of MOR switches 101, 102 and server-side QSFP compliant devices 103 and 104 are redundantly connected to a server within a server rack 105.

Redundancy is defined herein as the duplication of critical components or functions of the system, intended to improve the reliability of the system, usually in the form of back-up or fail-safe, or to improve the performance of the actual system.

It should be noted that although this example shows a CWDM system with four colors and thus four electrical channels per optical connection, more or fewer electrical channels per optical connection may be produced. This may be accomplished by using additional fibers per connection, using additional or fewer wavelengths per fiber, increasing the level configuration per fiber in the range of, for example, PAM-4 and PAM-8 to PAM-N, or using various encoding and decoding schemes involving coherence, polarization, or other techniques.

The server rack 105 includes a plurality of shelves (or racks) 116 in which the servers 114 and 115 are placed. It is particularly noted that the illustrated server system may be of a scale that meets the needs of a super-scale system that employs hundreds to thousands of servers in the server system. In some embodiments, a switch according to one embodiment of the present disclosure employs rates of 50-400 Gbps.

Advantageously, the present disclosure can use an input fiber optic connection and a photonic transceiver to enable two sets of electrical connections on different servers.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a pair of MOR compatible optical transceiver devices 201 and 202 optically coupled to QSFP compatible photonic transceiver groups 203 and 204 that are physically installed in a pair of redundantly connected servers 205 and 206. The MOR compatible optical transceivers 201 and 202 each have a plurality of optical cables 207 and 208 therein. Each optical cable 207 and 208 is capable of transmitting multiple optical signals to the server switch using multiple wavelengths. As explained previously, other approaches such as using multiple fibers with a single wavelength may be employed. In fig. 2, although shown as transmission of optical signals over one optical cable 207 and 208, each MOR compatible optical transceiver 201 and 202 has and may use up to six optical fibers. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the present disclosure is not so limited as the MOR compatible optical transceivers 201 and 202 may have more or fewer optical ports than the number shown in the figures.

Optical signals are received at QSFP-compatible (or QSFP-DD-compatible or OSFP-compatible or any other industry standard interface) photonic transceiver groups 203 and 204. Each of the optical cables 207 and 208 transmits an optical signal. In one embodiment, each of the fiber optic cables 207 and 208 emits four colors of light in each direction by means of two fibers per cable. As such, each of the optical cables 207 and 208 may transmit four color optical signals to the QSFP-compatible photonic transceiver groups 203 and 204. In addition, a single optical fiber within the cable 207 carries (per direction) four colors of light and each color can be converted to a single electrical signal. Similarly, in the opposite direction, a single optical fiber (not shown) may emit four colors of light and each color may be converted to a single electrical channel.

In one embodiment, the data rate of each fiber is 200Gbps, which is converted to four electrical channels that result in a data rate of 50Gbps (per direction). For a dual group server side QSFP compliant device, each server side QSFP compliant device has two electrical paths (per direction).

However, in an embodiment, when two fibers per direction (four colors of light per fiber) per MOR switch are employed for a data rate of 200Gbps per fiber, the aggregate data rate is 400 Gbps. The total number of electrical channels is eight and thus the data rate per channel is 50 Gbps. For a single primary and secondary server-side QSFP device configuration, each device has four electrical channels with an aggregate data rate of 200Gbps per device.

Similarly, in an embodiment, when four fibers per direction per MOR switch (four colors of light per fiber) are employed with a data rate of 25Gbps per color, the aggregate data rate is 100Gbps per fiber. The total number of electrical channels is sixteen and the data rate per channel is 25Gbps (per direction). For a single primary and secondary server-side four-lane small form-factor pluggable dual density (QSFP-DD) device or eight-lane small form-factor pluggable OSFP device configuration, each device may have up to eight electrical lanes (per direction). In addition, if the data rate of each color is 25Gbps, the aggregate data rate per device is 200Gbps per device. Those skilled in the art will recognize that each photonic communication scheme and data rate will have a different resulting aggregate data rate for each device.

Upon receiving the optical signal, the QSFP-compatible photonic transceiver groups 203 and 204 may convert the optical signal into an electrical signal. As will be discussed in this disclosure, the QSFP-compliant photonic transceiver group includes a primary server-side QSFP-compliant device, a QSFP-DD compliant device, an OSFP compliant device, or other industry standard compliant device and at least one secondary server-side QSFP compliant device. The secondary server-side QSFP compliant device may have the same shape and size as the primary server-side QSFP compliant device or may be a different shape and size. The primary server-side QSFP compliant device and the secondary server-side QSFP compliant device transmit the converted electrical signals to the network interface cards 218 and 221 of the redundant servers 205 and 206, respectively. The bi-directional transmission path 209-216 illustrates electrical signaling between the QSFP transceiver ports 217, 219, 220, 222 of the redundant servers 205 and 206.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that QSFP transceiver ports 217, 219, 220, 222 have the capacity to create four electrical channels (capacity) via four data pins. Although fig. 2 shows only two data pins being used, the present disclosure is not so limited as other embodiments may employ the use of all (e.g., four) data pins. For example, if the QSFP-compatible photonic transceiver groups 203 and 204 have multi-parallel optimized (MPO) connectors, they can convert optical signals received from multiple optical fibers into electrical signals.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a dual group server-side QSFP-compliant device 300 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the dual group server-side QSFP compliant device 300 may act on a single photonic connection and two groups of electrical connections to transmit data to or receive data from a network interface card of a server. In this disclosure, when the dual group server-side QSFP-compliant device 300 refers to a device that is a single functional unit, it may refer to a QSFP-compliant photonic transceiver group. Further, when the dual group server-side QSFP compliant device refers to a sub-component alone, it may refer to a primary server-side QSFP compliant device or a secondary server-side QSFP compliant device.

The dual group server side QSFP compliant device 300 includes a primary server side QSFP compliant device 301 and a secondary server side QSFP compliant device 302. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the primary server-side QSFP-compliant device 301 receives an optical signal (e.g., from a MOR switch), converts the optical signal to an electrical signal, and routes a subset of the electrical signal to the secondary server-side QSFP-compliant device 302.

The primary server-side QSFP compliant device 301 includes a photonic transceiver (not shown) that can convert optical and electrical signals and transmit the converted signals to a MOR switch or server or other destination. The secondary server-side QSFP compliant device 302 includes an electrical transmitter in that the electrical transmitter sends electrical signals to a server system, particularly a redundant server system. Accordingly, since the dual group server-side QSFP compliant device 300 uses a single photonic transceiver (a component of the primary server-side QSFP compliant device) to transmit multiple sets of electrical signals to different servers within the server system, cost savings are possible with the present disclosure due to the reduction in hardware per server rack (e.g., photonic transceivers per dual group server-side QSFP compliant device).

In the illustrated embodiment, the primary server-side QSFP-compliant device 301 includes a duplex (duplex) optical connection with an optical input port 304 and an optical output port 305 to transmit and receive optical signals. It should be noted that other photonic connections suitable for a greater number of optical fibers may be used. For example, MPO connectors may be used for parallel optical interfaces having more than a single input and output fiber.

The primary server-side QSFP compliant device 301 may route electrical signals to the secondary server-side QSFP compliant device 302 via a cable. In one embodiment, the primary server-side QSFP-compliant device 301 routes approximately half of the converted electrical signals to the secondary server-side QSFP-compliant device 302. The primary server-side QSFP compliant device 301 and the secondary server-side QSFP compliant device 302 may operate in a serial manner (in distance) to exploit redundancy in the server system.

As will be described below, the dual group server-side QSFP compliant device 300 may not be limited to a single primary server-side QSFP compliant device and a single secondary server-side QSFP compliant device, but may include a single primary server-side QSFP compliant device and a plurality of secondary server-side QSFP compliant devices. Additionally, the present disclosure is not limited to primary server-side QSFP compliant devices with duplex optical connections, but may include MPO connectors as will be described below.

Fig. 4 is an exemplary internal photonic engine of a primary QSFP compatible transceiver device 400 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The primary QSFP-compliant photonic transceiver device 400 includes an electrical physical layer 402, a link and training management engine 403, and an optical physical layer 404 all disposed on a substrate 401 (e.g., a PCB). In addition, the primary QSFP-compatible photonic transceiver 400 includes a set of photodiodes 405 and a set of Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs). Those skilled in the art will recognize that the exemplary photon engine may be replaced by many photon technologies such as, but not limited to, silicon photon technology, CWDM technology, DWDM technology, PAM-4 and PAM-8 technology, or any photon technology suitable for providing multiple electrical channels from a single input fiber or fiber bundle.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a set of server-side QSFP compliant devices 500 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The set of server-side QSFP compliant devices 500 includes a primary server-side QSFP compliant device 501 and five secondary server-side QSFP compliant devices 502 and 506. In one embodiment, the primary server-side QSFP compliant device 501 comprises a duplex optical connection having a single input optical fiber 512 and a single output optical fiber 513 to receive and transmit optical signals. This configuration is useful for applications employing many wavelengths, such as but not limited to DWDM implementations. Alternatively, the primary server-side QSFP compliant device 501 may employ parallel optical connectors, such as MPO connectors, to facilitate multiple fibers in each direction. Each secondary server-side QSFP-compliant device includes electrical circuitry (electronic circuit) for receiving electrical signals, a transmitter for transmitting the electrical signals to a server, and electrical circuitry for routing a portion of the electrical signals to another secondary server-side QSFP-compliant device. Notably, these secondary signal routes may include redrive (re-drive) and delay time (ret-time) capabilities, or they may simply deliver the electrical signal to the next module without signal conditioning.

A group of server-side QSFP compliant devices 500 shows a parallel configuration where each secondary server-side QSFP compliant device receives optical signals routed from the primary server-side QSFP compliant device. As shown, primary server-side QSFP compliant device 501 is directly connected to secondary server-side QSFP compliant device 502 (via cable 507), to secondary server-side QSFP compliant device 503 (via cable 508), and to secondary server-side QSFP compliant device 504 (via cable 510).

Notably, the secondary server-side QSFP compliant device 505 connects to the secondary server-side QSFP compliant device 504 (via cable 511) rather than having a direct connection to the primary server-side QSFP compliant device 501. Similarly, the secondary server-side QSFP compliant device 506 is connected (via cable 509) to the secondary server-side QSFP compliant device 503.

In one embodiment, cables 507, 508, and 510 have a bundle of eight electrical signal pairs per direction, while cables 509, 511 have a bundle of four electrical signal pairs per direction. In this embodiment, the cable 510 provides four signal pairs per direction for electrical connections to the secondary server-side QSFP compliant device 504 and the primary server-side QSFP compliant device 501 and four signal pairs per direction for four electrical connections to the secondary server-side QSFP compliant device 505 and the primary server-side QSFP compliant device 501. The electrical signal in cable 510 is encapsulated to the electrical signal side (alongside) in cable 511. Similarly, cable 508 provides four electrical signal pairs per direction for the four electrical connections to the secondary server-side QSFP-compliant device 504 and four electrical signal pairs per direction for the secondary server-side QSFP-compliant device 505. In one embodiment, four signal pairs per direction in cable 508 are encapsulated on one side of an electrical conductor (wire) in cable 509. If each server-side QSFP-compliant device is used to its full capacity, a group of server-side QSFP-compliant devices 500 may employ a total of twenty-four electrical channels per direction.

In one embodiment, when the input and output fibers 512 and 513 of the primary server-side QSFP-compatible device 501 are replaced with MPO connections, six fibers (four colors of light per fiber) in each direction may be connected to each MOR switch at a data rate of 200Gbps per fiber, an aggregate data rate of 1200 Gbps. The total number of electrical channels is twenty-four and thus the data rate per channel is approximately 50Gbps per direction. For a single primary server-side QSFP compliant device and five secondary server-side QSFP compliant device configuration, each server-side QSFP compliant device has four electrical channels with an aggregate data rate of 200Gbps per device per direction. In this embodiment, the set of server-side QSFP compliant devices 500 maximize electrical connection capacity. Those skilled in the art will recognize that this is exemplary only, and that other combinations are possible (e.g., eight channels per channel 50G per direction, four channels per channel 100G per direction, etc.).

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a hybrid QSFP-compliant device 600 adapted to employ a hardware configuration of three servers per rack (or shelf) in a rack according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The hybrid QSFP-compliant device 600 is suitable for a server system designed to connect three servers per server rack. The hybrid QSFP compliant device 600 includes a primary server-side QSFP compliant device 601 to convert optical signals received via an MPO connector 602 to electrical signals and transmit the electrical signals to the server via a QSFP, QSFP-DD, or OSFP connector 605 located at the end of the primary server-side QSFP compliant device 601.

The primary server side QSFP compliant device 601 includes cables 603 and 604 extending at an angle from one side of the primary server side QSFP compliant device 601. The cables 603 and 604 may connect two secondary server-side QSFP compliant devices (not shown in this figure). The primary server-side QSFP compliant device 601 routes the converted electrical signals to and from a secondary server-side QSFP compliant device via cables 603 and 604 (not shown in this figure). In one embodiment, the primary server-side QSFP-compliant device 601 may route one-third of the converted electrical signals to each secondary server-side QSFP-compliant device via cables 603 and 604.

Fig. 7A-7B are schematic diagrams of another hybrid QSFP-compliant device 700 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The hybrid QSFP-compliant device 700 is suitable for a server system designed to connect three servers per carrier. The primary server-side QSFP compliant device 700 may convert optical signals received via the MPO connector 703 into electrical signals and transmit the electrical signals to the server via QSFP, QSFP-DD, or OSFP connector 705 at the end of the primary server-side QSFP compliant device 701.

The primary server-side QSFP compliant device 701 includes cables 702a and 702b that extend at an angle perpendicular to the primary server-side QSFP compliant device 701. The cables 702a and 702b may connect two secondary server-side QSFP compliant devices (not shown in this figure). The primary server-side QSFP compliant device 701 routes the converted electrical signals to a secondary server-side QSFP compliant device (not shown in this figure) via cables 702a and 702 b. In one embodiment, the primary server-side QSFP-compliant device 701 may route one-third of the converted electrical signals to each secondary server-side QSFP-compliant device via cables 702a and 702 b.

Fig. 7B shows a side view of the hybrid QSFP-compliant device 700. The side view shows the cable housing 704. The cable housing provides for connecting the wires at a 90 degree angle, which is easier to manufacture and reduces the required length of wire cable required. The cable housing 704 exposes the cables 702a and 702b to the electrical circuitry within the primary server-side QSFP compliant device 701.

Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a server system 800 showing the MOR switch to server and transceiver to server optical and electrical connections, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. A pair of MOR switches 801 and 802 may transmit optical signals to QSFP compatible transceiver groups 814 and 815. The optical signals 812 and 813 emitted from the pair of switches 801 and 802 may include four optical colors of light, which when converted into electrical signals, represent four electrical signals.

Each QSFP-compatible photonic transceiver group has a primary server-side QSFP-compatible device and two secondary server-side QSFP-compatible devices. For example, QSFP compatible photonic transceiver group 814 has a primary server-side QSFP compliant device 804 and two secondary server-side QSFP compliant devices 805 and 807. Similarly, QSFP-compatible photonic transceiver group 815 has a primary server-side QSFP-compatible device 803 and two secondary server-side QSFP-compatible devices 806 and 808.

In the illustrated embodiment, each server-side QSFP compliant device transmits four electrical channels to the server 809 via QSFP port 816 and 821 and 811. Since there are six server-side QSFP compliant devices 803 + 808 totaling twenty-four electrical connections to the server 809 + 811, each MOR switch 801 and 802 provides twenty-four electrical connections on the server side by means of two fibers per cable, using three optical cables with four colors of light per direction.

In an embodiment, when three fibers per MOR switch (four colors of light per direction per fiber) are employed at a data rate of 400Gbps (per direction), the aggregate data rate per QSFP-compatible photonic transceiver group is 1200 Gbps. The total number of electrical channels (in each direction) is twelve and thus the data rate per channel is 100 Gbps. For the configuration of a single primary server-side QSFP compliant device and a single secondary server-side QSFP compliant device, each server-side QSFP compliant device has four electrical channels with an aggregate data rate of 400Gbps per device (per direction). In the illustrated embodiment, the QSFP-compatible photonic transceiver group employs QSFP connectors.

In various embodiments, when six fibers per MOR switch (four colors of light per direction per fiber) are employed at a data rate of 100Gbps (per direction), the aggregate data rate per QSFP-compatible photonic transceiver group is 600 Gbps. The total number of electrical channels (in each direction) is twenty-four and thus the data rate per channel is 25 Gbps. For a single primary server-side QSFP compliant device and a single secondary server-side QSFP compliant device configuration, each device has eight electrical channels with an aggregate data rate of 200Gbps per device (per direction). When the present embodiment has more than four electrical channels per device, the QSFP-compliant photonic transceiver group employs QSFP-DD, OSFP or other multi-channel connectors.

In addition, the present disclosure may be implemented in various other ways. For example, a QSFP-compatible photonic transceiver group may include a single server-side QSFP-compatible device and three secondary server-side QSFP-compatible devices. In an embodiment, when two fibers per MOR switch (four colors of light per direction per fiber) are employed at a data rate of 400Gbps (per direction), the aggregate data rate is 800Gbps (per direction). In addition, the total number of electrical channels (per direction) is eight, and thus the data rate per channel (per direction) is 100 Gbps. In addition, there are two electrical channels per module, with an aggregate data rate of 200Gbps per module. In this embodiment, two of the available four QSFP data pins are used.

In another embodiment, when four fibers per MOR switch (four colors of light per direction per fiber) are employed for a data rate of 200Gbps (per direction), the aggregate data rate is 800Gbps (per direction). The total number of electrical channels (per direction) is sixteen and thus the data rate per channel (per direction) is 50 Gbps. In addition, there are four electrical channels per module, with an aggregate data rate of 200Gbps (per direction).

Advantageously, the present disclosure enables the use of input fiber optic connections and photonic transceivers to enable two sets of electrical connections for different servers within a redundant server system.

Although the present disclosure has been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, or alterations can be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The use of any word "may" or "can" corresponding to a feature of the present disclosure indicates that some examples include the feature and other examples do not, as appropriate in context. The use of any of the words "and" or "in relation to features of the disclosure indicates that the examples can contain any combination of the listed features, as appropriate in the context.

Examples are provided using phrases or inserts beginning with "e.g.," or "i.e.," for clarity only. The present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples provided by these phrases and inserts. The scope and understanding of the present disclosure may include certain examples not disclosed in these phrases and clauses.

While exemplary embodiments of the present application have been described in detail herein, it should be understood that the inventive concepts may be embodied or employed in various other ways and that the claims are intended to be construed to include such modifications except as limited by the prior art.

Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, the appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in some embodiments" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

In the foregoing specification, a detailed description has been given with reference to specific exemplary embodiments. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in the claims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense. Moreover, the foregoing use of embodiment and other exemplarily language does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or the same example, but may refer to different and distinct embodiments, as well as potentially the same embodiment.