Parallel optical interface
Encyclopedia
A parallel optical interface is a form of fiber optic technology aimed primarily at communications
and networking over relatively short distances (less than 300 meters), and at high bandwidths
.
Parallel optic interfaces differ from traditional fiber optic communication in that data is simultaneously transmitted and received over multiple fibers. Different methods exist for splitting the data over this high bandwidth link. In the simplest form, the parallel
optic link is a replacement for many serial data communication
links. In the more typical application, one byte of information is split up into bits and each bit is coded and sent across the individual fibers. Needless to say, there are many ways to perform this multiplexing
provided the fundamental coding at the fiber level meets the channel requirement.
The main applications for parallel optical interfaces are found in telecommunications and supercomputer
s, also being introduced to consumer applications . It displaces copper backplane
s that are commonly used for large switching equipment design.
There are two forms of commercially available products for parallel optic interfaces. The first is a twelve channel system consisting of an optical transmitter and an optical receiver. The second is a four channel transceiver
product that is capable of transmitting four channels and receiving four channels in one product .
Parallel optics is often the most cost effective solution for getting 40 Gigabit per second transmission of data over distances exceeding 100 meters.
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
and networking over relatively short distances (less than 300 meters), and at high bandwidths
Bandwidth (computing)
In computer networking and computer science, bandwidth, network bandwidth, data bandwidth, or digital bandwidth is a measure of available or consumed data communication resources expressed in bits/second or multiples of it .Note that in textbooks on wireless communications, modem data transmission,...
.
Parallel optic interfaces differ from traditional fiber optic communication in that data is simultaneously transmitted and received over multiple fibers. Different methods exist for splitting the data over this high bandwidth link. In the simplest form, the parallel
Parallel communications
In telecommunication and computer science, parallel communication is a method of sending several data signals simultaneously over several parallel channels...
optic link is a replacement for many serial data communication
Serial communications
In telecommunication and computer science, serial communication is the process of sending data one bit at a time, sequentially, over a communication channel or computer bus. This is in contrast to parallel communication, where several bits are sent as a whole, on a link with several parallel channels...
links. In the more typical application, one byte of information is split up into bits and each bit is coded and sent across the individual fibers. Needless to say, there are many ways to perform this multiplexing
Multiplexing
The multiplexed signal is transmitted over a communication channel, which may be a physical transmission medium. The multiplexing divides the capacity of the low-level communication channel into several higher-level logical channels, one for each message signal or data stream to be transferred...
provided the fundamental coding at the fiber level meets the channel requirement.
The main applications for parallel optical interfaces are found in telecommunications and supercomputer
Supercomputer
A supercomputer is a computer at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation.Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks such as problems including quantum physics, weather forecasting, climate research, molecular modeling A supercomputer is a...
s, also being introduced to consumer applications . It displaces copper backplane
Backplane
A backplane is a group of connectors connected in parallel with each other, so that each pin of each connector is linked to the same relative pin of all the other connectors forming a computer bus. It is used as a backbone to connect several printed circuit boards together to make up a complete...
s that are commonly used for large switching equipment design.
There are two forms of commercially available products for parallel optic interfaces. The first is a twelve channel system consisting of an optical transmitter and an optical receiver. The second is a four channel transceiver
Transceiver
A transceiver is a device comprising both a transmitter and a receiver which are combined and share common circuitry or a single housing. When no circuitry is common between transmit and receive functions, the device is a transmitter-receiver. The term originated in the early 1920s...
product that is capable of transmitting four channels and receiving four channels in one product .
Parallel optics is often the most cost effective solution for getting 40 Gigabit per second transmission of data over distances exceeding 100 meters.
See also
- Optical interconnectOptical interconnectOptical interconnect is a way of communication by optical cables. Compared to traditional cables, optical wires are capable of a much higher bandwidth, from 10 Gb/s up to 100 Gb/s....
- Thunderbolt (interface)
- Interconnect bottleneckInterconnect bottleneckThe interconnect bottleneck, the point at which integrated circuits reach their capacity, is expected sometime around 2010.Improved performance of computer systems has been achieved, in large part, by downscaling the IC minimum feature size. This allows the basic IC building block, the transistor,...
- Optical fiber cableOptical fiber cableAn optical fiber cable is a cable containing one or more optical fibers. The optical fiber elements are typically individually coated with plastic layers and contained in a protective tube suitable for the environment where the cable will be deployed....
- Optical communicationOptical communicationOptical communication is any form of telecommunication that uses light as the transmission medium.An optical communication system consists of a transmitter, which encodes a message into an optical signal, a channel, which carries the signal to its destination, and a receiver, which reproduces the...