One quirk of Foundry's FES-X boxes is the use of XFP modules for the optics. XFP creates a serial 10-Gbit/s link, as opposed to the four-lane interface of more common modules such as Xenpak. The industry is expected to use XFP eventually but has stuck with the four-lane architecture because semiconductors can't handle 10-Gbit/s speeds yet. For now, XFP interfaces require a chip that splits the signal into four channels of 3.125-Gbit/s each.
XFP is a smaller design, as dictated by the multisource agreement (MSA). It's also better suited for the metro network, one of the FES-X's target markets.
"XFP provides a more complete design. Some of the other [transceiver module MSAs] are more designed for shorter distances," Foundry's Schiff says.
Last year, module vendors thought XFP might take off more quickly than expected, but much of that demand was to come from storage vendors jumping to 10-Gbit/s Fibre Channel for storage area networks (SANs). The advent of a 4-Gbit/s Fibre Channel generation has diluted those expectations (see XFP No Longer a BFD).
Foundry's FES X424, with 24 ports of Gigabit Ethernet, is due to ship in April, with XFP modules available that month as well. The 48-port version, the FES X448, is expected to ship in June. The models cost $5,495 and $7,995, respectively.
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