MTP/MPO fiber patch cords are extensively employed in high-density applications across numerous data centers. Common types include MTP/MPO-12 and MTP/MPO-24 connections. However, MTP/MPO-8 fiber connectors are gradually becoming popular because of their specific advantages and applications.
What is MTP/MPO-8 fiber?
MTP/MPO-8 fiber patch cords are fiber patch cords that are made of MTP/MPO-8 connectors. This MTP/MPO connector with 8fibers does not fully comply with the standardized infrastructure interface of MPO/MTP connector. Still, it’s an application that utilizes 8 of the standard MTP/MPO 12 fibers connectors. For QSFP applications, the middle 4 fibers are not used, no need for fiber, which results in unnecessary fiber waste. It just needs 8 fiber positions on the MTP/MPO-12 connector to transmit and receive signals, while To address this issue, manufacturers now offer MTP/MPO fiber patch cords that contain only 8 fibers to reduce this waste.
The utilization of MTP/MPO-8 fiber patch cords is determined by the specific needs of eight fiber channels. For example, 40GBASE-SR4 is a Base-8 application that uses four 10G fiber channels to achieve 40G bandwidth. This 8-fiber channel connector meets the parallel transmission methods of 400GbE, 100GbE, and even 400GbE. In addition, Base-8 MTP/MPO patch cords are simpler and more flexible compared with 12F connectors. The system comprises trunk lines with 8, 16, and 24 fibers each.
Why use MTP/MPO-8 fiber patch cords?
Fiber Utilization
As mentioned above, MTP/MPO fiber patch cords make full use of each fiber to achieve optimized data transmission. When using MTP connectors to connect switch line cards to LC duplex breakout components, Base-8 configurations are ideal because most standard switch port configurations (multiples of 4, such as 16-port and 32-port) match the 8-fiber setup. This ensures that no fiber is idle, unlike Base-12 breakout components, which result in wasted fiber in inseparable configurations.
Flexibility and Scalability
MTP/MPO-8 fiber trunk cable has good advantage of flexibility and adaptability for network infrastructure, especially for future network expansion involving 40G, 100G, and even 400G technologies. MTP/MPO-8 fiber solutions can fulfill the demands of nearly all 40G and 100G connections, primarily utilizing 8-core fiber transceivers. In addition, MTP/MPO-8 fiber can be seamlessly integrated with Base-12 and Base-24 settings, helping to effectively upgrade current 10G systems to higher data rates such as 40G and 100G, thereby improving cost-effectiveness and ease of deployment.
What are the applications of MTP/MPO-8 fiber patch cords?
Base-8 MTP/MPO fiber patch cords for 40G-40G
To support 40G networks, 8-core MTP/MPO fiber patch cords can be used along with 1U rack-mounted distribution boxes and 40GBASE-SR4 QSFP+ optical modules. This design can achieve simple and high-capacity connections between 40G switches while minimizing the waste of fibers. The 1U rack-mount chassis will simplify cable management and improve overall network maintenance and troubleshooting efficiency.
Base-8 MTP/MPO Breakout Cables for 10G-40G
In networks migrating from 10G to 40G, the configuration of 8-core MTP/MPO to 4 LC duplex breakout cables is very important. By connecting the MTP port and duplex LC connector of a 40GBASE-SR4 QSFP+ optical module (on a 40G switch) to the ports of multiple 10GBASE-SR SFP+ optical modules (on a 10G switch), it ensures full utilization of optical fibers and zero waste.
Base-8 MTP/MPO Breakout Cables for 25G-100G
In networks migrating from 25G to 100G, the combination of 8-core MTP/MPO LC breakout cables with 25G SFP28 and 100G QSFP28 optical modules enables seamless migration. The 100G QSFP28 optical module segments the 100Gbps data into 4*25Gbps data streams utilizing the 8-channel MTP/MPO connector. Each 25G SFP28 optical module manages these individual data streams via a duplex LC connector, guaranteeing optimal utilization of fiber resources.
The MTP/MPO-8 fiber solution significantly improves efficiency and cost-effectiveness by ensuring efficient fiber utilization, making it ideal for future duplex fiber applications and meeting current high-bandwidth requirements. MTP/MPO-8 fibers connectors can significantly reduce fiber waste and save costs compared with traditional MTP/MPO 12fibers and MTP/MPO 24 fibers connectors, and it can also simplify deployment and management processes.
