Form Factors

Form factor refers to the physical dimensions and shape of a transceiver. The properties of a transceiver’s form factor include size, shape, connector type, and other physical characteristics. It determines how the transceiver fits into networking equipments like switches, routers, or servers.

QSFP-DD

Juniper Networks supports the Quad Small Form Factor Pluggable Double Density QSFP-DD) form factor for 400G (QSFP56-DD) and 800G (QSFP-DD800) transceivers. The QSFP-DD form-factor is defined by the QSFP-DD MSA industry consortium. Juniper Networks is a founding member of the consortium. QSFP-DD can accommodate more ports per unit area than other form factors.

The QSFP-DD host cage design supports backward compatibility with QSFP28 and QSFP. You do not need any external mechanical adapter to support legacy transceivers. QSFP-DD is both forward and backward compatible.

Table 1: Features of QSFP-DD Form Factor
Feature	QSFP-DD	Notes
Size	Small	—
Heat sink	Standard heat sink limited by size constraints. Supports a riding heat sink	—
Host/electrical connector style	Small connector with 76 connector pins (16 differential pairs, the remaining pins being power, ground, status and control pins.)	—
Power consumption	Up to 30 W	For more information about the specific power consumption of individual transceivers, see Hardware Compatibility Tool.
Thermal requirements	Standard: 0 through 70 °C High power modules: 75 °C through 80 °C	Transceiver modules with QSFP-DD form factors are designed to operate within the case temperature ranges provided.
Backward compatibility	Compatible with some of the other QSFP transceiver module ports such as QSFP56, QSFP28, and QSFP+.	Backward compatibility with the existing hardware ensures smooth transition, upgrade, operational flexibility, and cost savings.

The following are the performance requirements of a QSFP-DD transceiver module:

Table 2: Performance Requirements of a QSFP-DD Transceiver Module
Performance Parameters	Description	Requirements
Mechanical or physical tests
Plating type	Plating type on connector contacts	Precious
Surface treatment	Surface treatment on connector contacts	Manufacturer to specify
Wipe length	Designed distance a contact traverses over a mating contact surface during mating and resting at a final position. If less than 0.127 mm, test group 6 is required	Manufacturer to specify
Rated durability cycles	The number of durability cycles that a component encounters over the course of its life	Connector cage: 100 cycles Module: 50 cycles
Mating force¹	Amount of force needed to mate a module with a connector when latches are deactivated	QSFP module: 60 N QSFP-DD module: 90 N
Unmating force¹	Amount of force needed to separate a module from a connector when latches are deactivated	QSFP module: 30 N QSFP-DD module: 50 N
Latch retention¹	Amount of force the latching mechanism can withstand without unmating	QSFP module: 90 N QSFP-DD module: 90 N
Cage latch strength¹	The amount of force that the cage latches can hold without being damaged	125 N
Cage retention to host board¹	Amount of force a cage can withstand without separating from the host board	114 N
Environmental requirements
Field life	The expected service life for a component	10 years
Field temperature²	The expected service temperature for a component	65 °C
Electrical requirements
Current	Maximum current to which a contact is exposed in use	0.5 A per signal contact MAX 1.5 A per power contact MAX 2.0 A (Single port QSFP-DD 1600) per contact MAX
Operating rating voltage	Maximum voltage to which a contact is exposed in use	30 V DC per contact MAX

¹^{—These performance criteria are not validated by EIA-364-1000
testing.}

²^{—Field temperature is the ambient air temperature around the
component.}

The following are some of the key features of the QSFP-DD form factors:

Color Codes
Thermal Requirements
Power Requirements

Color Codes

The QSFP-DD transceiver modules adhere to a color code by application of color to its ejector tab or other appropriate method.

Table 3: QSFP-DD Color Codes
Product Type	Color	Pantone Code
QSFP-DD copper cables	Black	Not applicable
QSFP-DD AOC Cables	Gray	422U
QSFP-DD 850 nm solutions	Beige	475U
QSFP-DD 1310 nm solutions for up to 500 m	Yellow	107U
QSFP-DD 1310 nm solutions for up to 2 km	Green	354C
QSFP-DD 1310 nm solutions for up to 10 km	Blue	300U
QSFP-DD 1310 nm solutions for up to 30 km	Red	1797U
QSFP-DD 1310 nm solutions for up to 40 km	Tangerine	1575U
QSFP-DD 1550 nm solutions for up to 80 km	White	Not applicable

Thermal Requirements

The QSFP-DD transceiver module is required to meet the following thermal requirements while sustaining maximum power:

Table 4: QSFP-DD Transceiver Module Thermal Requirements
Parameter	Value
Maximum temperature rise (when all signal and power contacts are simultaneously energized)	Vendor specific

Power Requirements

Transceiver modules have varying power consumption levels and thermal output. It depends on the overall platforms design, airflow, size, height, and quality of the heat sinks on top of the ports. The power consumption for the ZR/ZR+ optics clients is up to 30 W.

QSFP28

Juniper Networks supports the QSFP28 form factor for 100G transceivers.

Table 5: Features of QSFP28 Form Factor
Feature	QSFP28	Notes
Physical dimensions	18.35 mm x 8.5 mm x 89.4 mm	—
Relative size	Small	—
Power consumption	Standard Optics: typically < 3.5 W Coherent DWDM: up to 6.5 W	For more information about the specific power consumption of individual transceivers, see Hardware Compatibility Tool.
Signal processing	Relies on host card	—
Electrical interface	1x100G	—
Host/electrical connector configuration	High-density connector with 38 pins	—
Heat sink requirements	Minimal heat sink due to low power consumption	Heat sink design is evaluated based on system configuration
Thermal requirements	Operating: 0 °C through 70 °C Industrial: -40 °C through 85 °C	—
Port density	High	—
Breakout capability	No (single 100G port only)	—