Introduction to Optical Transceiver MSA Standards

Anyone who is familiar with optical transceivers knows that the size of optical transceivers is determined by the form factor. Common SFP, SFP+, XFP, QSFP+, QSFP28, etc. are regulated by various multi-source agreement (MSA) organizations. In this article, let’s talk about the optical transceiver MSA multi-source agreement.

The Origin and Introduction of the MSA Standard

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) , the world’s largest professional technical organization, has established standards for optical transceivers, but the types of optical transceiver interfaces from different manufacturers are diversified. In order to solve the problem of insufficient interoperability, multiple manufacturers An organization was jointly established to standardize the interface type, installation and function of optical transceivers, and MSA came into being to supplement the IEEE standard. MSA (MultiSource Agreement) is a multi-source agreement. The MSA agreement often referred to refers to the SFP Transceiver MSA, also known as the SFP-MSA agreement.

MSA was submitted to SFF , named INF-8074i, SFF extended the SFP-MSA protocol, and the extended protocol was SFF-8472. SFF (Small Form Factor Committee) refers to the Small Form Factor Committee. It is a research meeting to seek a solution and formulate corresponding standards for problems that the industry has no standards but need to be solved urgently. The INF-8074i protocol specifies the definition of the mechanical structure, electrical interface, and software interface (AOH); SFF-8472 specifies the transceiver identification, manufacturer information, and the digital diagnosis and monitoring function (DDM) of the optical transceiver. MSA-compliant products include optical transceivers, fiber patch cords, and other networking equipment.

MSA Standard and Optical Transceiver

For optical transceivers, the MSA standard not only defines the external dimensions, but also defines its electrical interface and optical interface. Therefore, optical transceiver suppliers must strictly abide by the MSA standard when designing systems to ensure operability and interchangeability between optical transceivers. At the same time, it provides a variety of options for end users. Since the optical transceivers conforming to the MSA standard have the same shape and size, third-party optical transceiver suppliers can also compete with mainstream manufacturers of brands, win the market share of optical transceivers, and provide users with what they need. The optical transceiver reduces the network construction cost of end users and prevents the optical transceiver market from being monopolized.

Tracing back the development of the MSA organization from the earliest defined GBIC MSA specification, MSA has accelerated the acceptance process of optical transceivers such as SFP+, CFP, and QSFP-DD, thereby promoting optical transceivers to support higher-speed 400G bandwidth. (This table shows the approved optical transceiver multi-source agreement).

With the development of technology, the size of optical transceivers will be smaller and smaller, and the data capacity transmitted per unit time will be larger and larger, which means that there will be a new MSA in the future. That’s all for this article. Pay attention to us and learn more about optical transceivers together! NADDOD is a professional optical transceiver manufacturer. Thank you for your trust and support!