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Dell Optics and Cables Connectivity Guide
Dell Networking Optics and Cables Connectivity Guide
6. For short distances, it is recommended that the user add appropriate value of in-line optical attenuation to avoid exceeding the receiver overload threshold (-1dBm for 10G-ER, and -7dBm for 10G-ZR)
7. Requires QSFP+ optics on one end and SFP+ optics on the other end, which are not included with the cables.
8. Requires QSFP+ optics on both ends, which are not included with the cables.
Notes
1. Optics come with attached MPO pigtail cables that are intended to plug into MPO Patch panels at customer site. Specified MPO cable length is different than the distance between two optics on both ends of the connection.
2. Wavelength varies for the optics. Different channels are supported on these optics and every channel provides different wavelength.
3. These optics are currently not shipping.
4. Follows the specification defined in the PSM4/CWDM4 MSAs.
5. XFP is an older technology and is mostly seen in legacy solutions only
(Optics in each group are listed in the order of list price i.e. low to high)
Frequently Asked Questions
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Frequently Asked Questions
Dell Optics and Cables Connectivity Guide 14
Cables
Optical fiber • Traffic carried using light
over optical fiber
Single Mode Fiber (SMF) • Allows only a single mode of light to
propagate
• Good for long distance transmission
Copper cable • Traffic carried using electrical
signal over copper conductor
Multi Mode Fiber (MMF) • Allows multiple modes of light to
propagate
• Good for short distance transmission
OS1
• Appropriate for indoor
deployments
OS2
• Appropriate for outdoor
deployments, commonly
used for switch to switch
connection
OM1
• 62.5µm, found in legacy
systems and not common
today
OM2
• 50µm; suitable for 1GbE
• 50µm laser optimized; ideal for
10GbE
• 50µm laser optimized; ideal for
10GbE, 40GbE, and 100GbE
OM3
OM4
Twisted pair (RJ-45) • Multiple pairs of wires in a cable
Twinaxial (DAC) • Like Coaxial cables but with two
inner conductors
Cat5/Cat5e
• Appropriate for short
distance; ideal for 1GbE
and short distance for
10GbE
• Custom length cables can
be created on site
Point to point
• Appropriate for indoor
deployments; ideal for 1GbE,
10GbE, or 40GbE
• Multiple fixed length cables
available
Breakout
• Appropriate for indoor
deployments; breakout one 40GbE
or 100GbE into multiple links
• Single connector on one end
breaks to multiple connectors on
the other end
• Multiple fixed length cables
available
Cat6/Cat6a
• Appropriate for short
distance; ideal for 10GbE
• Custom length cables can
be created on site
What is a lane?
• Lanes are used to achieve higher data transmission rates such as 40GbE and 100GbE
• Multiple lower rate data streams (10GbE or 25GbE) are grouped in lanes
40GbE
• Four lanes carrying 10Gb in each direction
• The lanes can be copper cables, wavelengths, or fibers
100GbE
• Four lanes carrying 25Gb or ten lanes carrying 10Gb in each direction
• The lanes can be copper cables, wavelengths, or fibers
FDDI grade
• 62.5µm, found in legacy systems
and not common today
What are the different types of cables?
Frequently Asked Questions
Dell Optics and Cables Conneectivity Guide 15
Can existing 10GbE fiber cables be used for 40GbE?
Typical 10GbE fiber Typical 40GbE fiber
Optical Module Optical Module 2 fibers makes a link
e.g. 10G-SR
Optical Module Optical Module
Multiple fibers, typically 8,
makes a link. E.g. 40G-SR4,
using 10G per fiber
Previously, the answer was no since 10GbE fiber cables have two fibers whereas 40GbE fiber cables have eight or more fibers, as shown below.
Dell has recently introduced a 40GbE LM4 optic which provides customers the flexibility of using the existing 10GbE cables for 40GbE connections. This is accomplished by sending data over 4 wavelengths, each capable of carrying 10GbE, over single fiber. This is shown in the example below.
QSFP 40G-LM4 4x10G wavelengths
4x10G wavelengths
QSFP 40G-LM4
By using Dell’s 40GbE LM4 QSFP+ optics on both ends of the connection, customers are able to leverage existing 10GbE cable infrastructure. This approach significantly lowers the cost of deployment while improving the time to deployment over traditional approach to 40GbE deployments.
Are DWDM and CWDM optics just like a regular optic?
Users of DWDM optical modules are expected to engineer the link to suit their deployment. Choice of appropriate DWDM mux-demux, optical amplification, CD compensation, etc. to meet specific link budget requirements is left to the end user. Both ends of the link must have Dell DWDM optics. Dell can provide detailed optical transceiver data-sheet upon request. Users of CWDM optical modules can simply connect the two optics using a single mode fiber (SMF) cable just like a regular Ethernet optic is connected. It is not absolutely required to use Dell CWDM optics on both ends.
Frequently Asked Questions – Services & Support
Dell Optics and Cables Conneectivity Guide 16
Is it ok to install a non-Dell optic in a Dell switch? Is it ok to install a non-Dell DAC cable in a Dell switch?
In order to ensure that users enjoy the most reliable network experience with Dell switches, Dell goes through a very stringent and lengthy process of cables validation, qualification, and certification. Dell fully stands behind such a solution and, in the unlikely event that a user comes across a problem, Dell’s support personnel will help address the issues.
If a non-Dell DAC cable, which is standards compliant, is plugged into a Dell switch, the switch will continue to perform as well as the cable allows. Additionally, since cables are passive components and as long as the cables are standards based, If Dell Support determines that the reported issue is caused by the use of non-Dell DAC then they will recommend that the customer replace the unsupported DAC with qualified Dell optics. As a matter of best practice, Dell recommends that end user test non-Dell optics appropriately, prior to deploying them in production environment.
Are Dell optics covered under Dell warranty and support options?
Dell approved optics are covered by Dell warranty and support options but there are limitations and different terms based on the type of warranty. Please find more detail here: http://www.dell.com/learn/us/en/19/campaigns/lifetime-warranty. Typically, the warranty support on the Dell approved optic aligns with the hardware warranty.
A customer is generally discouraged from installing non-Dell optics in Dell switches.
In order to ensure that users enjoy the most reliable network experience with Dell switches, Dell goes through a very stringent and lengthy process of optics validation, qualification, and certification. Dell fully stands behind such a solution and, in the unlikely event that a user comes across a problem, Dell’s support personnel will help address the issues.
If a non-Dell optic is plugged into a Dell switch, the switch will continue to perform as well as the optic allows. A warning message might be displayed, indicating that the optics are not supported/tested by Dell Engineering. Dell Support will assist customer in case there is a problem. If Dell Support determines that the reported issue is caused by the use of non-Dell optics then they will recommend that the customer replace the unsupported optics with qualified Dell optics. As a matter of best practice, Dell recommends that end user test non-Dell optics appropriately, prior to deploying them in production environment.
Are Dell optics covered under the Lifetime Limited Warranty (LLW) for N series products?
Dell approved optics are covered as long as the original customer owns the product.
Is it ok to install an optic from a Dell switch into Dell server NICs?
It is very common for customers to use DAC (TwinAx) cables instead of optics to connect server NICs to switches. Customers have the flexibility to use either a switch qualified or a server qualified DAC cable. If a customer chooses to use optics, Dell recommends using a switch qualified optic in a switch and a NIC qualified optic in a server NIC. Fibre Channel (FC) HBAs and FC switches ship with pre-installed FC optics. Customer should use the same optics in both of these products. Please consult your Dell representative to find a list of qualified optics.
Is it ok to install an optic from a Dell switch into Dell storage ?
It is very common for customers to use DAC (TwinAx) cables instead of optics to connect Dell Ethernet based storage ports to switches. Customers have the flexibility to use either a switch qualified or a storage qualified DAC cable. If a customer chooses to use optics, Dell strongly recommends using a storage qualified optic in a storage controller port and a switch qualified optic in a switch port. Fibre Channel (FC) storage and FC switches ship with pre-installed FC optics. Customer should use the same optics in both of these products. Please consult your Dell representative to find a list of qualified optics.
Are Dell approved optics covered under ProSupport, ProSupport Plus and ProSupport Flex for Data Center?
The Dell approved optics are covered under the same terms and conditions as the ProSupport contract. For example, if a customer purchases a 3 year NBD ProSupport contract then that Dell approved optic will also be covered NBD for 3 years.
Is it ok to install an optic from one Dell switch into another?
In most cases, the answer is yes. However, it is highly encouraged that the user contact their Dell representative to confirm if there are any specific requirements or exceptions.
Dell supplied Fibre Channel (FC) optics must be installed in Dell’s FC products. Dell supplied FC optics for Brocade OEM products must be used with Brocade products. Dell FC optics in Brocade switches and Brocade optics in Dell switches are not supported.
Frequently Asked Questions – Services & Support
Dell Optics and Cables Conneectivity Guide
Is it ok to use a Dell DAC cable to connect a Dell device to a non-Dell device?
Dell DAC should function normally when inter-connecting Dell and non-Dell Devices. However, Dell recommends use of optics in multivendor environment because there is always a possibility that a non-Dell device may have deviated from the standards based implementation. Dell Support will assist the customer in case of a problem. However, if Dell Support identifies that the reported issue is caused by use of DAC cables, they will likely recommend the use of optics, instead of DAC. As a matter of best practice, Dell recommends that the end user test DAC cables, prior to deploying them in multi-vendor inter-connect environment.
Is it ok to use a Dell DAC cable to connect Dell switch to other Dell devices?
Dell provides full and complete support for Dell DAC, when deployed between Dell devices. Any issues attributed to the use of Dell DAC on ,and, between Dell devices, will be investigated by Dell Support
Is it ok to use a DAC cable between a 10bE CNA and a 1GbE switch or 1GbE adapter with 10GbE switch?
It is recommended to use optics instead of DAC if connecting at 1GbE speeds. Additionally, please ensure that both the switch and the server adapter support operation at 1GbE because some adapters support 10GbE only.
Deployment and Technical Guides
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Deployment & Technical Guides Detailed guides to help you get connected
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