November 18, 2009 -- Molex Inc. has introduced the iPass+ High-Speed Channel (HSC) pluggable CXP copper and optical interconnect system, designed to enable 12 channels of 10-Gbps data for up to 120 Gbps of total bandwidth. The iPass+ CXP provides both optical and copper direct attach options for the same system port, thereby increasing the flexibility of system-level hardware for end users, Molex says. This dual paddle-card system was adopted as the InfiniBand Architecture Specification Vol. 2 Release 1.2.1; Annex A6 in September 2009.
The unitary press-fit connector and cage assembly provides one-step placement to the host board and is offered in both single and stacked dual-port configurations. The copper versions are the first to hit the market. The Molex CXP 12X direct attach copper cables are designed to accommodate single, ganged, or stacked connector configurations in extremely high-density requirements. The CXP passive copper cables are available in a variety of lengths.
The active optical cable (AOC) versions of the CXP interconnect, with pluggable optical module cable assemblies and loopbacks, are still in development. Cabling options for CXP optical products will include 24-fiber round OFNP-rated jackets in 3.8- and 5.4-mm diameters filling both shorter rack-to-rack and longer riser cabling requirements. Molex says the round cable construction offers superior fiber management over traditional flat cables for connecting CXP ports. CXP optical cable assemblies for pluggable transceiver applications will use 24-fiber (12 transmit and 12 receive) high-bandwidth OM3 cable using industry-standard MTP/MPO connectors.
Moles says this design meets the InfiniBand bandwidth requirements for CXP modules for lengths up to 300 m (984.25’). Products also include MTP/MPO-to-LC cable assemblies for connections to SFP or LC patch panels. MPO CXP Loopbacks feature a compact housing that loops optical TX to RX ports for testing, burn-in, and field troubleshooting.
“Molex’s first-to-market iPass+ HSC CXP system results in one of the fastest and highest-density I/Os on the market today,” said Jay Neer, advanced technical market manager, industry standards, Molex Incorporated. “By leveraging Molex high-speed wafer technology with compliant pin tails, we were able to develop a higher density, 12-channel I/O connector system which meets the needs of the growing high-performance and computer data center market.”
