Abstract: A QSFP-DD optical transceiver module having more than four optical data ports and more than four electrical data ports is configured for approximately 10 Gb/s bidirectional data communication on each of the data ports, and is further configured to communicatively inter-connect each of the optical data ports thereof to a corresponding one of the electrical data ports thereof. The module may be used with a digital data router or switch having at least one QSFP-DD receptacle with eight electrical data ports and configured for parallel bidirectional communication with the QSFP-DD module plugged therein over at least five of the eight electrical data ports at 10 Gb/s per port and direction.

Abstract: A system for coupling a variety of circuit cards to a circuit board, each circuit card having a respective function, the system comprising: a sequence of connectors mounted on the circuit board, each connector in the sequence of connectors having a respective function; and, one or more connectors mounted on a circuit card for mating with respective ones of the sequence of connectors mounted on the circuit board to thereby couple the circuit card to the circuit board, the respective function of the circuit card determining which ones of the sequence of connectors mounted on the circuit board that the one or more connectors mounted on the circuit card mates with; whereby space on the circuit card opposite ones of the sequence of connectors mounted on the circuit board that the one or more connectors mounted on the circuit card do not mate with is available for mounting components.