Designing 100G optical connections
3/8/2017 · Katharine Schmidtke
What this post added
This post details Meta's development and deployment of 100G single-mode optical transceivers for data center interconnectivity. It explains the motivation for moving to single-mode fiber to future-proof the fiber plant and reduce recabling costs. The post outlines the challenges of single-mode transceivers (precision alignment, higher cost, power consumption) and how Meta optimized the CWDM4 MSA specification (CWDM4-OCP) by relaxing parameters like reach, link budget, and operating temperature to meet data center needs. It also discusses strategies for mitigating technology and deployment risks, including considering multiple technology platforms, rigorous testing, and working with suppliers to achieve rapid production ramp-up for large-scale deployments.