100 Gbit/s Ethernet—An Emerging Market
The ongoing growth of enterprise, residential and mobile multimedia services (such as peer-to-peer, IPTV and video-over-the-Internet) is producing unprecedented levels of traffic, stressing the bandwidth capabilities of metro and core transport networks. Consequently, carriers worldwide are actively seeking strategies to efficiently and cost effectively scale the transmission of IP packets. Specifically intended to facilitate this transition, 100 Gbit/s and 40 Gbit/s Ethernet technologies offer carriers the flexibility to phase in the implementation of these higher-speed rates to better align capacity increases with their specific growth and budget strategies.
The IEEE 802.3ba standard
These new data rates are based on the IEEE 802.3ba task force initiative. Although not yet fully ratified, the current draft proposes Ethernet interface implementations at 100 Gbit/s and 40 Gbit/s (initial work began in November 2007 and the draft 2.0 version was released in March 2009).
The most significant concept introduced in this working standard is the use of parallel optics (including CWDM, LAN WDM and parallel ribbon fiber), which strongly influence the physical coding sublayer (PCS) implementation. The key difference between the IEEE 802.3ba standard and its most popular lower-rate predecessor is the introduction of PCS lanes (formerly known as virtual lanes). PCS lanes provide an effective method of handling various parallel optical configurations and therefore demand a comprehensive solution that can easily test from 10 x 10 Gbit/s to 4 x 25 Gbit/s and, in the future, 2 x 50 Gbit/s and 1 x 100 Gbit/s configurations. Thorough PCS testing is among the critical layer 1/2/3 tests needed to ensure that 100 Gbit/s and 40 Gbit/s Ethernet prototypes are productized rapidly and get to market with confidence.
Many component and equipment manufacturers are actively working on 100 Gbit/s Ethernet products based on the IEEE 802.3ba draft specification, and many products are expected to be available when the standard is ratified in June 2010. However, with the standard being in flux, equipment manufacturers are now challenged to find comprehensive testing solutions that provide them with the confidence needed to productize and market these bleeding-edge solutions despite aggressive time-to-market and resource constraints.
Your Simple Path to Turnkey 100 Gbit/s Ethernet Transport Testing
From prototype to commercial launch—quickly and confidently
The latest evolution in EXFO’s Packet Blazer family of modular Ethernet analyzers, the IQS-85100G helps you accelerate the development and commercialization of 100 Gbit/s Ethernet transport equipment with efficient, cost-effective and comprehensive layer 1/2/3 testing processes that validate performance against real-world scenarios.
Comprehensive Layer 1/2/3, CFP-Based 100 Gbit/s Ethernet Compliance Tester
The IQS-85100G Packet Blazer is purpose-built to thoroughly test layer 1/2/3 100 Gbit/s, including pluggable optical modules, physical coding, sublayers (PCS) and Ethernet compliance, thus enabling development teams to quickly and thoroughly test transceivers, routers, switches and transport equipment against the IEEE 802.3ba specification. Its FPGA-based architecture ensures rapid and seamless incorporation of updates as the standard is ratified and refined moving forward, protecting your testing investment without sacrificing timely support of features and functions.
The IQS-85100G Packet Blazer includes powerful layer 1/2/3 Ethernet traffic generation and analysis features to stress and validate network infrastructure elements against demanding corner cases.
At layer 1, the IQS-85100G can test CAUI/XLAUI lanes and PCS lanes, as well as PCS lane markers and skew to ensure thorough compliance. Furthermore, used in conjunction with complementary EXFO test modules, the IQS-85100G supports optical-compliance testing of 100GBASE-LR4/ER4 and 40GBASE-LR4 interfaces.
At layers 2 and 3, users can send and receive 100 Gbit/s line rate Ethernet and IP packets, insert and detect CRC errors, perform EtherBERT™ and provide common Ethernet and IP frame statistics—all via an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) or through an automated environment.