Why MSA Standard Is So Important for QSFP Transceiver?

When we are selecting some optics for our switches and servers, the MSA (Multi-Source Agreement) standard always come first in our mind. No matter the optical transceiver are made by some major brands, such as Cisco, Juniper, Brocade, HP, or by third-party manufacturers, they all emphasis MSA compatibility. With the upgrading of Ethernet network, more and more Ethernet users turn their eye on 40G optics, 40G optical transceivers in particular. So why MSA standard is so important for QSFP transceiver? This article would provide a satisfied answer for you.

About MSA standard

MSA is a standard to normalize the networking equipment among competing industry manufacturers, such as Ethernet switches, routers, servers and etc. All optic transceivers are manufactured to comply with MSA standards. All elements of fiber optic transceivers are specified by a MSA agreement, including the mechanical and electrical interface.

40G QSFP Specification

There are many common types of 40G QSFP transceiver, such as 40G QSFP SR4, LR4, PRLR4, CSR4, and etc. We would choose 40GBASE-SR Bi-Directional QSFP transceiver to illustrate. It is a Four-Channel,Pluggable, LC Duplex, Fiber-Optic QSFP+ Transceiver for 40 Gigabit Ethernet Applications. This transceiver is a high performance module for short-range duplex data communication and interconnect applications. It integrates four electrical data lanes in each direction into transmission over a single LC duplex fiber optic cable. Each electrical lane operates at 10.3125 Gbps and conforms to the 40GE XLPPI interface. It conforms to the QSFP MSA standards. The following figure is serveral types of 40G QSFP transceiver.

Why MSA Standard Is So Important for QSFP Transceiver?

For this question, we would clarify it from four aspects—cost, security and issurance as well as wide selection.

—Cost

MSA standards brought great changes to optical transceiver market, it is no more monopolized by some certain major manufactures. In this way, customers have more choices for their optics over the competitive price. Moreover, customers could save more costs by purchasing their ideal optical transceivers with high quality but low costs.

—Security and Issurance

The QSFP MSA standards guarantee that QSFP modules are identical in form factor and functionality to the equivalent Cisco QSFP modules and meet the requirements of all networking equipment brands that follow the MSA standards.

—Wide selection

Using third-party, MSA compliant QSFP optical transceivers offer all the benefits of the name-brand product, but offer more selection and competitive pricing. This means that you can find a supplier who focuses on having the right product available at all times and at a fair price. Sounds like a win-win right?

Conclusion

Through this article, we cleared at MSA standard, 40G QSFP transceiver specification, and reasons of the importance of MSA standards to QSFP transceivers. Remember to select MSA certified products when looking to replace QSFPs to avoid losing valuable warranty coverage. Besides, if you are looking for some QSFP transceivers specified by MSA, you can take FS.COM into consideration. All of our optical transceivers are 100% ensured to apply to MSA standards, you can rest assured to use them. For more details, please visit www.fs.com.