DATA CENTER Best Practices Guide: High Density Cable Management Solutions v6.4.0

DATA CENTER BEST PRACTICES GUIDE
Brocade DCX Cable Management 5 of 23
As an industry leader and innovator in high availability SAN solutions, Brocade developed a space efficient
version of the standard Small Form Factor Pluggable (SFP+) media that enables high density port
configurations as well as improved serviceability (Figure 2). These new “mini” SFPs (mSFP) retain all of the
performance and functionality of the standard SFP+ and include individual port isolation for improved
serviceability and availability. The FC8-64 port blade utilizes mSFPs rather than standard SFPs.
Figure 2. Mini SFP (mSFP) for use in the Brocade FC8-64 FC port blade
The following table provides an overview of standard SFPs versus mSFPs.
Specification SFP+ mSFP
Speed Grade Same (2/4/8Gb) Same (2/4/8Gb)
Operating Distance Same Same
Availability of SWL Transceivers Yes Yes
Availability of LWL Transceivers Yes No
Regulatory Compliance Same Same
Dimensions – Fiber pitch 6.25mm 5.25mm
Dimensions – Width 13.55mm 11.40mm
Dimensions - Depth Same (56.40mm ) Same (56.40mm )
LC patch cords Any LC patch cord mSFP patch cords provided by major cable vendors
Supplier Brocade Brocade
The mSFP fiber pitch and width are narrower than standard SFPs, resulting in the need for newer OM-3 fiber
cables with narrower LC connectors. Due to these changes, the standard LC connector was modified by
major cable vendors to accommodate the new fiber pitch and width. Refer to “Appendix B: Equipment List”
for cable manufacturer and part number details.
The new cables (Figure 3) provide the same flexibility in connectivity as standard LC cables:
• mSFP-LC cable: Provides the FC8-64 port blade with the ability to connect to other port blades,
switches, devices, and LC patch panels.
• mSFP-mSFP cable: Allows one FC8-64 port blade to connect to another FC8-64 port blade as ISLs.
• mSFP-MPO cable: Allows a trunked MPO cable to connect to multiple mSFP ports. Currently, six mSFP
connectors are supported in one trunk cable.