+++++ -----
g e c a b d f h
0 0
H F D B A C E G
----- +++++
their ubiquitous inter-machine connectors look something like this. - and + are for power. all the letters are single mode fibers for data. 0 indicates a elliptical ferrule a la MTP connectors. this is a reversible connector - each contact or fiber is used for the same purpose as the contact/fiber 180° from it.
cables would have zero or two wires and zero, four, eight, twelve, or sixteen fibers, populated from the inside out. cables are all cross-over, with fiber a on one side corresponding to fiber b or B on the other.
power sink ports accept up to ~60 volts and could require a minimum voltage to operate. power source ports provide at least ~10 volts/1W, cope with up to ~60 volts from another source, and signal available current with a high-frequency component. ports can simply not connect to the power pins to remain electrically isolated.
data ports populate pairs of receive (a,c,e,g) and transmit (b,d,f,h) fibers from the inside out. in idle mode, the center fibers carry a low-bandwidth report of the port capability. link setup includes tests of each transmitter-receiver pair, reporting back on the center transmitters. a port may have variously capable pairs of transmitters and receivers - but they must be arranged with the more capable transmitters and receivers closer to the middle.
cables would be labeled with their number of pairs of fibers. ports would be labeled with the minimum required voltage and wattage they consume (if greater than the minimum), the voltage and wattage they provide (if any), the receiving abilities (if different from the transmitting abilities), and finally the transmitting abilities, including a distance under standard conditions.
if adapted to our world, a keyboard might simply be labeled 1x1M@10m - indicating <1W power consumption, no power provision, two transmitters and two receivers each at 500kbps, and the transmitters capable of reaching 10 meters under standard conditions.
conversely, a 8k monitor port might have a more complicated label of 30V90W+2x50G+2x20G/59V120W+1x20G@100m. that is, to be powered it requires a minimum of 30V and uses 90W. it has 4 25G receivers and 4 10G receivers. it provides 120W of power at 59V, and has 2 10G transmitters. the asymmetric bandwidth is to be expected for a monitor - with the varied receivers allowing it to be compatible with machines that provide 8 10G transmitters and those that provide 4 25G transmitters.
this scheme provides a variety of advantages over our own attempts. distance extenders can operate with in-line amplification. power injectors can present two ports, internally cross the fibers, and provide power to both sides, or simply be a single cable with an additional power injector. and of course, the paranoid can carry a cable with no fibers for charging.
