As network speeds increase to 56/112 Gbps PAM4, and the number of I/O lanes increase to 256 and beyond, so do system design challenges. Signal integrity, thermal and packaging considerations place extreme constraints on the entire path from silicon to the front/back panels. This opens the door for a novel approach for system architecture.
Samtec’s Modular Flyover™ System Design is enabled by its EyeSpeed™ twin-ax cables interconnecting high-performance front/back panel and on board connectors. The modular design results in a flexible, scalable network system architecture that provides the highest possible performance.
In this study, the OCP Wedge network switch has been re-architected as a modular system, and its design and performance results are shown. Simulation and measured data for high-speed channel performance and thermal management is shown, along with the flexibility and cost savings from modular design architecture. The OCP Wedge can be easily scaled from 3.2 Tbps to 6.4 /12.8/ 25.6 Tbps with this modular architecture. The various modules in this architecture can also be used-as-is to fit into different OCP Top of Racks (ToR) like Telco, OCPv2 and Olympus. The same modularity can be applied to Middle of Row (MoR), End of Row(EoR) and Spine Switches by leveraging the OCP Facebook BackPack’s and SidePlane’s concept.
This novel modular design approach may become a preferred solution for 56/112 Gbps “future proof” systems, with SI performance that has enough margin for all 256 I/O lines, and a practical approach to thermal and cable management while being cost competitive.
