Optical cables first to meet InfiniBandSM Trade Association compliance requirements

Zarlink’s ZLynx active optical cables are included in the recently issued IBTA Integrators’ List of commercially available products that meet InfiniBand compliance and interoperability requirements. Zarlink’s ZLynx products were independently tested and certified as compliant by Lamprey Networks and the University of New Hampshire’s Interoperability Lab. More information on the IBTA Integrators’ List is available at: http://www.infinibandta.org/itinfo/IL.

Zarlink’s ZLynx products integrate industry-standard electrical terminations and are capable of 20 Gbps transmission in both directions and 5 Gbps duplex, four-channel data transmission. As demonstrated at February’s Optical Fiber Communication conference, ZLynx optical cable assemblies are the industry’s first active optical cable products to support potential link distances up to 100 meters. ZLynx optical cable assemblies provide data center operators and installers with weight, interference and flexibility advantages versus traditional multi-strand copper cable assemblies.

ZLynx products targeting InfiniBand DDR (Dual Date Rate) at 4x5 Gpbs per channel and 10 GbE XAUI at 3x3.125 Gbps are currently sampling. Pre-production parts are now available, with general availability in August. These are the first in a portfolio of parts that will support varied cable lengths and terminated with a number of high-speed electrical connectors.

Zarlink is also sampling 4x2.5 Gbps and 4x5 Gbps InfiniBand QSFP (Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable) modules, supported by evaluation boards and a graphical user diagnostic interface. InfiniBand SDR (Single Data Rate) and DDR QSFP modules are now available as pre-production parts, with full production planned for Q4 CY2007. QSFP QDR (Quad Data Rate) modules will be available as sampling parts in Q4 CY2007.

Zarlink’s QSFP modules meet performance requirements outlined in the IBTA’s Pluggable Interfaces annex. Issued in March 2007, Pluggable Interfaces was developed by the IBTA to provide a standard electro-mechanical method for attaching cabling to InfiniBand products. By combining four ultra-high capacity, independent fiber transmit and receive channels into one integrated module, Zarlink’s QSFP products provide InfiniBand equipment manufacturers with a compact, low power consumption pluggable solution, and a clear roadmap to QDR implementation.