EDGE™ 4x4 Mesh Module

Reduce the complexity and connectivity costs for your data center fabric.

As networks grew to accommodate bandwidth demands, they also shifted from classical 3-tier network architectures to a flatter and wider spine-and-leaf topology. The fully meshed connectivity approach typical of spine-and-leaf architecture yields predictable high-speed network performance and reliability.

Using EDGE 4X4 Mesh Modules as a tool to build next-generation networks can reduce the complexity and connectivity costs for your data center fabric.

EDGE 4x4 Mesh Modules in the data center are used to break out four-channel parallel ports to create a duplex fabric, eliminating the need to break the MTP^® into LC connectivity. The mesh modules contain four 8-fiber MTPs in the rear for mating to backbone trunks and break out to four 8-fiber MTPs in the front for connectivity to the electronics. Take advantage of higher port densities per switch with lower power consumption and a lower cost per 10G port, and improve the ability to create port diversification when using QSFP+ transceivers for 1G applications.

Benefits of using EDGE™ & EDGE8® Mesh Modules in your Data Center

Whether you’re already using spine-and-leaf architecture or migrating soon, we can help you make the most of your data center space. By including EDGE solutions and EDGE mesh modules in your data center plan, you can reduce:

Space and Congestion

Reduce space and congestion in your data center by up to 75%.

Deployment Costs

Reduce deployment costs by up to 45%, compared to traditional LC duplex breakouts.

Insertion Loss

Reduce insertion loss in your data center by up to 10%.

Principles of Scaling a Leaf-and-Spine Fabric

The main building blocks of this network architecture consist of network leaves and network spines. Hosts are exclusively connected to leaf switches, while all leaf switches must be connected to all available spine switches. The uplink port count on the leaf switch determines the maximum number of spine switches that can be accommodated, whereas the port count of the spine switch determines the maximum number of leaf switches it can support. These fundamental principles significantly influence the design approach undertaken by switch manufacturers for their equipment.

Product Information

Mesh Modules in Your Data Center FAQs

Read more about Mesh Modules by clicking on the questions below.

What is Data Center Architecture?

Data center architecture refers to the physical layout and structural design of a data center, which encompasses the arrangement of various components. During the design and construction stages, data center architecture is crafted to establish connections between switches and servers and determine the placement and interconnection of resources like servers, storage, networking infrastructure, and racks. There are different approaches to data center architecture, including traditional on-premises setups, cloud-based architectures, and hybrid models that combine elements of both.
What is a Spine-and-Leaf architecture?

The backbone of this network architecture is called the spine, from which each leaf is connected to further extend network resources. The network can grow uniformly by simply adding more spine or leaf switches, and without changing the network performance. Spine switches form the core of the network and connect to every leaf switch. Leaf switches, in turn, are connected to end devices like servers. This setup enables efficient communication between devices with low latency and high bandwidth.
How does a Spine-and-Leaf architecture differ from traditional three-tier architecture?

The size of networks have been growing over the last decade, resulting in a shift from a classical 3-tier network, Ethernet, architecture to a flatter and wider spine-and-leaf architecture. Spine-and-leaf utilizes a full mesh topology incorporating spine and leaf switches. This configuration offers superior scalability and resilience, facilitating uniform and seamless expansion and efficient traffic management within wired and cloud-based networks.
What is a Mesh Network?

A Mesh Network is a topology where components are interconnected to one another via switches, passing data through multiple paths. If one component or connection fails, there are alternate paths for data to route through. This type of network is reliable, can provide extended coverage, and can be used in cloud or wired network settings.

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EDGE™ 4x4 Mesh Module | Data Center Spine and Leaf Architecture | Corning