• Top 10 Data Center Definitions You Need to Know

  Learn the unique vocabulary used in data center, metro, and telecom networks.

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• Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM)

  DCIM solutions provide an overall view of a data center's performance through the integration and analysis of IT and building facility systems.

  Data center infrastructure management addresses the top three concerns of data center operators and managers: cost, footprint, and power.

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• Gigabit Ethernet (GE)

  The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.3 standard defines gigabit Ethernet as the transmission of Ethernet frames at a rate of 1 billion bits per second (Gb/s).

  Data center operators need to evolve the speed of their networks from 100GE to 400GE to support the response times and high bandwidth requirements of emerging technologies such as 5G and IoT.

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• Forward Error Correction (FEC)

  An advanced coding technique used to control and mitigate errors in data transmission over unreliable or noisy communication channels. PAM4 signaling will use FEC encoding to account for its lower signal-to-noise ratio. The required information to correct errors passes through the link along with the payload data.

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• Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe®)

  PCIe is a computer expansion bus standard that enables faster data exchange between a computer processor and peripheral devices. Technologies such as 400GE drive I/O interconnect technologies, including PCI Express, to 32 gigatransfers per second (GT/s).

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• Software Defined Network (SDN)

  SDN is a network architecture that enables network management and control through programmable, centrally controlled applications. Many enterprises and services providers will shift to virtualized and SDN-enabled network infrastructures for more agile and cost-effective deployments.

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• Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM)

  QAM is a two-dimensional modulation format that modulates both the phase and amplitude of light to transmit a signal through a fiber optic cable. Higher order QAM signaling enables significantly faster data transmission rates and higher levels of spectral efficiency.

  Metro networks and data center interconnects will use QAM signaling to provide significantly faster data transmission rates.

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• For Further Research

  Keeping pace with data center innovations means knowing the technology as well as the lingo. Download Keysight's complete 14-page Glossary of Data Center Definitions and stay on top of the jargon.

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