AOC, DAC, ACC Optical Communication and Cable Analysis

1. AOC (Active Optical Cable)

2. DAC (Direct Attach Cable)

3. ACC (Active Attach Copper Cable)

Summary

In modern networks and data communications, with the increasing demand for information transmission speed and capacity, more and more high-speed transmission media have emerged. AOC (active optical cable), DAC (direct connection cable) and ACC (adaptive optical cable) are three common connection technologies that play an important role in different application scenarios. This article will introduce the definitions of AOC, DAC and ACC, the differences between them, and conduct an in-depth analysis in combination with the application scenarios of optical communication and optical cables.

1. AOC (Active Optical Cable)

AOC is a cable that integrates optical fiber and electronic components, which can convert electrical signals into optical signals and convert optical signals back to electrical signals through built-in electronic modules. This enables AOC to provide high transmission rates while achieving long-distance transmission. Due to the low signal attenuation and strong anti-interference ability of optical fiber, AOC is suitable for high-speed and large data transmission needs.

Features:

High bandwidth and low latency: AOC can provide transmission rates ranging from 10Gbps to 400Gbps, supporting high-speed data transmission.

Long-distance transmission: The characteristics of optical fiber enable AOC to support longer transmission distances (usually tens of meters to hundreds of meters).

Flexibility and portability: Compared with traditional copper cables, AOC is lighter and more adaptable, especially suitable for data centers and large-scale computing environments.

Application scenarios:

Short-distance high-speed interconnection between data centers.

Short-distance connection between devices in enterprise computer rooms.

Low-cost, short-distance connection in home networks

2. DAC (Direct Attach Cable)

DAC is a high-speed transmission cable using copper wire, commonly used for short-distance data transmission. It directly connects two devices through a cable without the need for an intermediate photoelectric conversion module. Common forms of DAC include SFP+, QSFP+ and other interfaces.

Features:

Low cost: Since DAC uses copper cable as the transmission medium, its manufacturing cost is low.

Short-distance transmission: DAC is suitable for shorter distance connections, usually between 1 meter and 7 meters.

Wide range of usage scenarios: DAC has a variety of product options, which can meet both direct connection and breakout applications

Application scenarios:

Short-distance interconnection of equipment within the enterprise computer room

Connection between equipment within the data center, such as connections between switches, servers and storage devices.

Short-distance interconnection between switches in high-speed networks.

3. ACC (Active Attach Copper Cable)

ACC is a new type of cable that can transmit longer distances than DAC. ACC active copper cable uses chips to compensate for the high-frequency S21 loss of passive copper cable DAC, thereby extending the transmission distance from 7m of DAC to 10m, but the corresponding price is also more expensive than DAC.

ACC features:

Long transmission distance: longer transmission distance than DAC

Low cost: Although ACC is more expensive than DAC, it is still much lower than AOC and modules

Wide application scenarios: Like DAC, ACC has a variety of product options, which can meet both direct connection and breakout applications

Application scenarios:

Short-distance interconnection of internal equipment in enterprise computer rooms

Short-distance interconnection between switches in high-speed networks

Connection between internal equipment in data centers, such as connections between switches, servers and storage devices.

Summary

AOC, DAC and ACC have their own characteristics in modern communication networks and are suitable for different application scenarios. AOC is mainly used for long-distance, high-speed data transmission, while DAC and ACC are suitable for short-distance, low-cost and high-efficiency connections. It plays an indispensable role in multiple scenarios such as data centers, cross-border communications and the global Internet. Choosing appropriate transmission media and technologies according to different needs will greatly improve network performance and efficiency.