SFP (Small Form Factor Pluggable) is a compact, hot-swappable transceiver module that converts electrical signals into optical signals (and vice versa), enabling long-distance communication between devices. One of the main advantages of SFP modules is their hot-swappable nature, which allows them to be inserted or removed without powering down network devices.
A BIDI optical module is a single-fiber bidirectional optical module, or BiDi (Bidirectional). Conventional modules are dual-fiber modules (connected by two optical fibers), with two fiber ports at the interface: a transmit port (TX) and a receive port (RX). BIDI modules, however, are single-fiber modules with only one fiber port. Different optical signals are transmitted and received within a single fiber; therefore, BIDI optical modules must be used in pairs. Visually, a BIDI module has only one port and uses only one optical fiber for connection.
It adopts single-fiber bidirectional transmission (WDM) technology, requiring only one fiber to complete bidirectional data transmission, saving 50% of fiber resources; it features a high-density design, using a small-size QSFP28 package, compatible with high-density switch ports; it has strong compatibility, supporting interconnection with mainstream brand switches, allowing for smooth upgrades to existing networks; it supports transmission distances from 100m to 80km, suitable for solutions in data centers and telecom operators.
The QSFP-DD technology can double the number of ports used in data transmission while keeping the same size as the previous version, QSFP. It has been developed to provide better use of bandwidth and supports 400G applications. The interface of QSFP-DD carries both optical and electrical signals over eight lanes that transmit at a rate of 50G each, which adds up to an overall throughput speed of 400 G. This design is backward compatible with current QSFP connections, thus enabling easy adoption into existing network systems.
As AI advances, data center computing power is further squeezed. Traditional data center networks can no longer meet the high bandwidth, low latency, and scalability requirements of AI development. To address this issue and accommodate the massive east-west traffic generated by AI computing, engineers are choosing leaf-spine network architectures for next-generation high-performance data centers. This article will introduce you to 100G leaf-spine networks, their topology, and their architecture, to help you better understand high-performance data center networks.