First 40 Gigabit Ethernet Media Converter Developed by Hitachi

The growth and diversification of IT systems has been subjecting the networks currently used by corporations to substantial pressure. The industry is in need of a new type of connectivity solution that will enable greater data-transfer volumes. Companies are already switching to Ethernet, but the IEEE802 committee is already hard at work on bringing forth the next-generation 40 Gigabit/100 Gigabit Ethernet standard. Hitachi Cable has announced that it has developed a media converter that supports the upcoming standard, a product known as the XLGMC-1001 media converter.

The XLGMC-1001 employs a Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) transmission system. What this system does is divide the 40 Gigabit Ethernet signal into four 10 Gigabit signals and encode them for transmission. What is especially notable about this procedure is that it has a performance equivalent to that of conventional 10 Gigabit media converters. Normally, high-speed transmissions are hampered by the effects of Chromatic Dispersion (CD) and Polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD). WDM, however, eliminates these occurrences, allowing for a maximum transmission distance of as much as 82 KM.

The high-performance and full support for 40 Gigabit Ethernet are not the only advantages of the new converter. Thanks to the use of miniaturized 10 Gigabit electronic components and high-density packaging technologies, the product has a slim form factor of only 44 mm in height.

Hitachi Cable has been manufacturing and selling media converters since 2000, when it launched its first Gigabit Ethernet multiplex long-distance transmission device, known as the GMX. This product was developed based on in-house optical transceiver R&D capabilities. The company has been working on this similar solution for the next-generation networking, seeing how these devices are highly reliable and widely used.

The role of the user interface for the XLGMC-1001 will be played by a QSFP transceiver port. This port will support 40GBASE-SR4 and 40GBASE-CR4, for connectivity to optical fiber and copper cables, respectively. The media converter will also support a single-mode optical fiber cable, allowing it to establish connections with a wide variety of 40 Gigabit Ethernet equipments. Hitachi plans to include this functionality by implementing support for the XL2 small optical transceiver, which, in turn, supports 40GBASE-LR4.

Hitachi Cable aims to release the XLGMC-1001 in June 2010, when the 40 Gigabit Ethernet standard itself is scheduled for launch.