OFCNFOEC 2011: Speed increases move out of the lab
OFCNFOEC conference and exhibition, Los Angeles, CA, March 6-10. www.ofcnfoec.org.
Martin Rowe, Senior Technical Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 3/9/2011 10:12:22 AM
Los Angeles, CA—Although OFCNFOEC (Los Angeles, CA, March 6–10, 2011, www.ofcnfoec.org) is about optical communications, you
couldn't help but notice how wireless communications is driving the need for
higher optical data rates. That became clear in the plenary session when
Kristin Rinne, Senior VP of architecture and planning at AT&T, told the
audience how AT&T is upgrading its networks. The telecom carrier is moving
to deploy LTE (long-term evolution) technology in its wireless network. "LTE is
the fastest growing system in the history of wireless communications, with 108
operators already investing in this technology," said Rinne.
Wireless data communications is stressing the backhaul networks
that move bits between cellular base stations and network servers, switches,
and routers. As a result, optical (and electrical) client networks are moving
to 40 Gbps and 100 Gbps data rates. Optical components and test equipment that
handle those data rates are thus more prevalent at this year's OFC than in the
past. Furthermore, test is already moving beyond the physical layer and heading
up the protocol stack, particularly to Ethernet, the so called "client side" of
a network. Physical-layer test equipment is still on the rise.
EXFO introduced 100G/40G Ethernet mapping over
optical transport network (EoOTN) testing capabilities to its FTB/IQS-85100G
Packet Blazer 100G/40G Ethernet test modules. Working with optical module
manufacturer Opnext, EXFO demonstrated a test of a 100GBase-LR4 CFP
Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) optical module using the FTB-85100G Packet Blazer
(100G/40G Ethernet and OTN) module. For long-haul (line side) optical links,
EXFO announced enhancements to its PSO-200 optical-modulation analyzer. "Line
side communications that use complex modulation still lack standards," said
François
Robitaille, senior product manager for optical products. He pointed out that
carriers are moving ahead with development of 100-Gbps line-side networks even
though standards are not in place. The PSO-200 can perform time-resolved EVM (error-vector
magnitude) analysis, BER (bit-error-rate) and SER (symbol-error-rate)
measurements.
Picosecond Pulse Labs demonstrated its Model 12070, a
30-Gbps pattern generator, shown under a LeCroy SDA 830Zi-A 30-GHz
oscilloscope so you could see the eye pattern from the generator (see photo, above right).
The 40-Gbps and 100-Gbps links being deployed in data
centers generally combine four or ten 10-Gbps Ethernet streams. To address the
needs for testing above the physical layer, JDSU introduced the ONT-600
Multiport Test Module, which test optical links up to protocol layer 3 at data
rates up to 11.3 Gbps.
Fibre Channel is moving from a top speed of 8 Gbps to 14
Gbps. To address the need for physical-layer testing of 14.025-Gbps Fibre
Channel and 14.063-Gbps Infiniband links, Tektronix announced the 80C14
optical module for its DSA8200 Digital Serial Analyzer. The module also lets
you test all standard data rates from 8 Gbps to 12.5 Gbps (see photo, right).
Engineers looking to develop and test 100-Gbps Ethernet
systems need optical modules capable of handling those data rates using ten 10-Gbps
and four 25-Gbps lanes. EE Times reports in "Engineers
in search of 25G silicon at OFC"
that companies such as Finisar
and Avago Technolgies are exhibiting their 4x25 Gbps modules.
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