HPC
What You Need To Know About OCuLink Technology
November 16, 2017
2 min read
OCuLink stands for "Optical Copper (Cu) Link" and is a PCI Express (PCIe) interconnect system. It was created by the standards body for the PCI interface (PCI-SIG) and the latest OCuLink 2 is considered an alternative to Thunderbolt. OCuLink 2 will have up to 16 GT/s (8 GB/s total for x4 lanes).
It features a small cable form factor that is optimized for internal and external enclosure usage and is capable of providing up to 32 Gbps in each direction within a four-lane configuration. The OCuLink 2 connectors work as a two-piece, metal-to-metal contact system with Molex's NanoPitch connector and cable assembly system. The cable doesn't carry clock signals or power, which allows for low-cost cables, connectors, and ports due to the lack of complex shielding requirements.
Usage for OCuLink includes internal and external PCIe attached storage, PCIe I/O expansion, and A/V equipment. In server applications, it is being used as a connection from the motherboard or add-in-card to the HDD midplane, an alternative to HDminiSAS. With NVMe U.2 drives, the OCuLink protocol can be used over the U.2 connector.
HPC
What You Need To Know About OCuLink Technology
November 16, 20172 min read
OCuLink stands for "Optical Copper (Cu) Link" and is a PCI Express (PCIe) interconnect system. It was created by the standards body for the PCI interface (PCI-SIG) and the latest OCuLink 2 is considered an alternative to Thunderbolt. OCuLink 2 will have up to 16 GT/s (8 GB/s total for x4 lanes).
It features a small cable form factor that is optimized for internal and external enclosure usage and is capable of providing up to 32 Gbps in each direction within a four-lane configuration. The OCuLink 2 connectors work as a two-piece, metal-to-metal contact system with Molex's NanoPitch connector and cable assembly system. The cable doesn't carry clock signals or power, which allows for low-cost cables, connectors, and ports due to the lack of complex shielding requirements.
Usage for OCuLink includes internal and external PCIe attached storage, PCIe I/O expansion, and A/V equipment. In server applications, it is being used as a connection from the motherboard or add-in-card to the HDD midplane, an alternative to HDminiSAS. With NVMe U.2 drives, the OCuLink protocol can be used over the U.2 connector.
