The Rise of the 25GE interface ?

-

Remember the good old days of dial-up? The screeching modem, the agonising wait for a single webpage to load? Okay, maybe some of you don’t, and that’s probably a good thing for your sanity. But the point is, our need for speed online has exploded faster than a cat startled by a cucumber. And while 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GE) was once the king of the hill, a new contender has emerged, promising more oomph without breaking the bank (or requiring you to sell a kidney for the privilege): 25 Gigabit Ethernet (25GE).

So, why is 25GE suddenly the cool kid on the block in both Wide Area Networks (WANs) and the bustling datacentre? Let’s dive in with a bit of humour and some real-world examples.


The Insatiable Appetite for Bandwidth: It's Not Just for Streaming Netflix Anymore

Whether it's across the vast expanse of the WAN or within the tightly packed racks of a datacentre, the demand for bandwidth is like a teenager’s appetite – seemingly endless.


In the WAN: Enterprise orgs are not just sending a few emails anymore. They are relying on cloud-based applications, video conferencing that actually needs to be clear, and transferring massive datasets between geographically dispersed offices. Your average 10GE connection might start to feel like trying to water a desert with a garden hose. Users expect instant access to everything, and patience is a virtue that seems to have gone the way of the dodo. 25GE offers a significant upgrade, allowing businesses to connect their various locations with the speed and agility needed in today's fast-paced world. Imagine a company with multiple branch offices needing to collaborate on large design files – 25GE can make that process feel less like watching paint dry and more like… well, watching slightly faster paint dry, but you get the idea.


In the datacentre: The datacentre is where the real digital heavy lifting happens. Servers are virtualised, applications are containerised, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) workloads are generating and processing colossal amounts of data. This creates a massive amount of "east-west" traffic – communication between servers within the datacentre itself. 10GE, while still capable, can become a bottleneck in these high-density environments. Think of it as a digital ant farm where everyone needs to constantly exchange information; a wider highway (25GE) makes the whole operation much more efficient.


25GE: The Goldilocks of Network Speed

Enter 25GE, the sweet spot between 10GE and much more costly 100GE. It offers a significant bandwidth jump over 10GE without the often-higher costs and infrastructure changes associated with the faster speeds.


Why is it so appealing?

  • More Speed, Less Fuss: It provides 2.5 times the bandwidth of 10GE using the same size of transceiver.
  • Cost-Effective Upgrade: In many cases, 25GE can leverage existing single-mode fibre cabling infrastructure designed for 10GE. Or alternatively using Direct Attach Cables (DACs) for short distances. 
  • Foundation for the Future: 25GE is now the best stepping stone towards 100GE, providing a smoother migration path as bandwidth demands continue to grow.
A 25Gb Ethernet SFP28 transceiver, based on 25GBase-LR standard.
Up to 10Km distance over single-mode fibre at 1310nm. 


Real-World Examples: Where is 25GE Showing Up?

In the WAN:

  • Connecting Branch Offices: Companies with multiple large offices that rely heavily on shared resources and cloud applications are increasingly adopting 25GE for their inter-office connectivity. For example, a media production company with offices in London and Los Angeles might use 25GE to facilitate seamless collaboration on high-resolution video projects.
  • Direct Cloud Connections: Businesses establishing direct connections to cloud providers like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud often find that 10GE isn't enough to handle their growing cloud workloads. 25GE provides the necessary bandwidth for efficient data transfer and application performance. Imagine a software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider needing a high-bandwidth, low-latency connection to their cloud infrastructure – 25GE fits the bill perfectly.
  • Internet Service Providers (ISPs): As customer bandwidth demands increase, ISPs are upgrading their backhaul networks to handle the load. 25GE offers a cost-effective way to increase capacity without a complete overhaul of their existing infrastructure.  

In the Datacentre:

  • Server Connectivity: 25GE is becoming increasingly popular for connecting servers to Top-of-Rack (ToR) switches. In high-density server environments, 10GE can quickly become a bottleneck. For instance, a large e-commerce company with hundreds of web servers might deploy 25GE to ensure smooth and responsive website performance during peak traffic.  
  • Storage Networking: Modern storage solutions, especially those using NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-oF), require high-bandwidth, low-latency connections. 25GE provides the necessary speed to unlock the full potential of these advanced storage technologies. Think of a financial institution with a high-performance database needing lightning-fast access to storage – 25GE enables that.   
  • Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI): HCI relies heavily on fast communication between nodes. 25GE provides the necessary bandwidth for efficient data replication and virtual machine migration within an HCI cluster. Imagine a hospital running its critical systems on an HCI platform – 25GE ensures the smooth operation of these life-saving applications.
  • AI and Machine Learning Workloads: Training AI models and running inference requires moving massive datasets around. 25GE provides the increased bandwidth needed to accelerate these computationally intensive tasks. Consider a research institution training a large language model – 25GE can significantly reduce the time it takes to process the vast amounts of data required.  

The Price is Right (or at Least More Reasonable): 25GE vs. 10GE

Now for the real question: How does 25GE stack up against the trusty old 10GE in terms of price? It's important to remember that prices can vary significantly based on the vendor, the specific features of the switch or router, and the quantity purchased. However, we can make some general estimations:


  • Switch Ports: Historically, the cost per gigabit of bandwidth has decreased as speeds increase. While a single 25GE port might initially cost slightly more than a 10GE port, when you consider the 2.5x increase in bandwidth, the cost per gigabit is often lower for 25GE. Think of it like buying in bulk – you might pay a bit more upfront, but you get more for your money in the long run. Estimates suggest that a 25GE port on a modern datacentre switch are only 1.3-1.6 times the cost of a comparable 10GE port, offering significantly more bandwidth for the investment.
  • Router Interfaces: In the WAN space, the price difference between 10GE and 25GE router interfaces can be more pronounced, but the trend towards better cost-effectiveness for higher speeds still holds. A 25GE interface on a high-end router only costs 1.5-1.8 times more than a 10GE interface, but again, you're getting a substantial increase in capacity.

Juniper's ACX7024 router has 24 multirate 1/10/25GbE ports. 

  • Transceivers and Cables: For short-reach connections within a datacentre, Direct Attach Cables (DACs) are commonly used for both 10GE and 25GE. The cost difference for DACs between the two speeds is often relatively small. For longer distances requiring optical transceivers, 25GE transceivers might have a slightly higher cost than their 10GE counterparts, but the overall cost is often justified by the increased bandwidth.
  • Standard single-mode fibre cabling is fine. Typical hand-offs are 25GBASE-LR on an SPF28 transceiver with reach up to 10Km. Flexoptics has these priced online at €72 each!


25GE is Here to Stay 

25GE is rapidly becoming the go-to speed for both demanding WAN environments and the ever-evolving datacentre. It offers a compelling blend of increased performance, cost-effectiveness, and a smoother upgrade path compared to other faster Ethernet technologies. While 10GE isn't going anywhere just yet (it's still perfectly adequate for many applications), 25GE is like that slightly faster, more fuel-efficient car that everyone's starting to notice. It’s not quite warp speed, but it’s definitely getting us where we need to go in the digital world, without leaving our wallets completely empty. And in the world of network upgrades, that’s a pretty good punchline.   


Will network operators start offering 25GE as the step-up from 10GE? 

Or will they push straight for 100GE?



Other References:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Datacentre Operators Are Prioritising Regions with Lower Energy Costs Over Traditional Locations

-
Image
Introduction Data centres have become the backbone of the digital economy, supporting everything from cloud computing to artificial intelligence and e-commerce. However, their enormous energy consumption presents a significant challenge for operators , especially as sustainability and cost-efficiency become critical concerns. Traditionally, data centres were built in regions with established infrastructure and access to major markets. However, a growing trend sees operators shifting to locations with lower energy costs , often at the expense of traditional business hubs. This analysis explores the key drivers behind this shift and its implications for the industry. The Impact of Energy Costs on Datacentre Operations The High Energy Demand of Data Centres Data centres consume vast amounts of electricity, primarily for powering servers and cooling systems. Estimates suggest that global data centres use approximately 1-2% of the world’s electricity, with some hyperscale facilities consumi...
Read more

Data Sovereignty and AI

-
Image
I have recently been speaking to customers who have concerns with using AI and large language models (LLM) within a specific geographic area. As always, reading up on this stuff, these are my notes - trying not to make it a complete word-salad: The Labyrinth of Sovereignty Navigating the Challenges of AI in a Data-Defined World The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has ushered in an era of unprecedented potential, transforming industries and reshaping the very fabric of our lives. However, this technological revolution is unfolding against a complex backdrop of evolving data privacy regulations and a growing emphasis on data sovereignty. For enterprises seeking to harness the power of AI, navigating this intricate landscape presents a formidable challenge.  Data sovereignty, at its core, is the principle that data is subject to the laws and regulations of the jurisdiction in which it is collected or processed. This concept, while seemingly straightforward, becomes incredibly nu...
Read more