The 10x10 MSA specifies using 10 output wavelengths centered around either 1310 or 1550 I believe in a CFP form factor. So you couldn't break out 10 "regular" physical 10GE connections because they aren't the normal 1310 wavelength. Using CPAK gives Cisco the ability to do this (and the rumor I've heard is it is what they have already done), you can plug in a CPAK which supports 100GBase-LR4, LR10 (10x10 MSA), Lightwire (MM MPO), or a 10x10GE octopus or breakout cable which outputs 10 physical 1310 10GE connections.
It's honestly a great idea given today's migration from 10GE to 100GE. With the PTX from Juniper or ALUs XRS you need to replace interface cards when going from 10GE to 100GE.
Cpak wont give them much of a density density edge versus newer offerings like the XRS from ALU, but will use less power. It also may allow them to build the optic where they can use a 10x10 breakout so customers only need one port type, like qsfp has been utilized. Vendors using CFP can't currently do that.
Maybe I'm buying too much into the general claims of CMOS always being better -- smaller, faster, cheaper.... :)
But I was also just thinking about the fact that Cisco seems to be using CPAK to leapfrog the 100G standards, thus using up less space and less power. Roy Rubenstein at Gazettabyte ran a table of comparisons:
Good point about silicon optics only making sense at the high end (where the puck is going to), but even then I am not sure Lightwire is more power efficient than the current MSA stuff. CFPs are direct modulation and silicon optics is external. I'm not sure I understand why Lightwire would be more power efficient ...
Excellent point, and that's definitely going to be an effect of CPAK and, in general, of Lightwire.
It only works at the high end, though. I can't imagine Cisco wanting to put the investment behind doing its own 10G stuff, and of course it would be utterly pointless for 1G interfaces.
How about power savings? If Cisco can use Lightwire/CPAK to produce significantly lower-power modules than the normal channels do, would that be an advantage at 100G?
I think the reason Cisco bought Lightwire, actually, is so that it would be the only one putting CPAK modules into the market. It is a lot easier to protect 500% mark ups on a form factor nobody else wants to supply.
Just got email from Worldwide Supply in Franklin, N.J., about how they sell SFPs and GBICs. I'm sure there are dozens of other suppliers who do this, too... but the part I think is interesting about NHR is the move into the high end.
The fact that Finisar is selling optics directly kind of fell into my lap yesterday - it wasn't meant to be part of this story. I don't know much about it, but based on Kisner's report, it doesn't sound like an enormous business for Finisar or anything.
And it's just directed at white boxes; I doubt Finisar would ever start selling directly to end customers in any big way. But I wanted to give it a mention.
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