Which 10G DAC direct-connect copper cable is more suitable for data center

When it comes to 10G network interconnection solutions in data centers, I have to mention 10G AOC active optical cables and 10G DAC direct-connect copper cables. Which of these two cables is more suitable for data centers? This article will analyze and analyze for you.

Let's talk about the 10G AOC active optical cable first. It adopts high-performance fiber core, which has good bending resistance and is not sensitive to bending. In addition, it adopts high-quality ceramic ferrule, which has high return loss, low insertion loss, thick gold finger and stable electric shock. , the cable length can be customized according to the device spacing.

10G AOC active optical cables are mainly used in data center 10G Ethernet servers, switches, storage and host card adapters. Compared with the 10G DAC direct-connected copper cable, the 10G AOC active optical cable has no electromagnetic interference, because the active optical cable is transmitted by optical signals, while the direct-connected copper cable is transmitted by electrical signals, so the direct-connected copper cable is used. when operating in an environment free of electromagnetic interference.

Next, let's take a look at the 10G DAC direct-connect copper cable, which is a common cable for top-of-rack wiring in data centers to connect small access switches and servers. Since the SFP+ connectors at both ends of the DAC do not have optical devices such as lasers, detectors, amplifiers, and MCU control chips, and the price of copper cables is cheaper than that of optical cables, the overall price of DAC high-speed cables will be cheaper than optical modules and AOC active optical cables. Many, can greatly reduce the cost of interconnection between devices. The 10G SFP+ DAC supports a passive copper cable length of 7m. Since the DAC is purely electric, the transmission distance is generally not far. Unless it is an active cable, the transmission distance will increase after adding an amplifier.

Now that we know a bit about both transport options, which one is better for data center use? In fact, if you have a sufficient budget, it is a better choice to choose a 10G AOC active optical cable, because its transmission performance is indeed better than a 10G DAC direct cable in all aspects. More than 30 meters, it is very suitable to choose 10G AOC active optical cable, if the transmission distance is within 7 meters, and the budget is limited, it is suitable to choose 10G DAC direct connection cable.