OFCNFOEC 2008: On to 100G
OFCNFOEC conference and exhibition, February 24–28, 2008, San Diego, CA, www.ofcnfoec.org.
Martin Rowe, Senior Technical Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 2/27/2008 7:16:00 AM
From listening to the talk at the 2008 OFCNFOEC conference, it’s clear that the fiber pipelines, once partially dark, now illuminate around the world. This year, there’s no more talk about how fiber to the premises (FTTP) was going to save the industry. This year, emphasis has shifted to core networks to carry the increased network traffic—and people are now talking about the next big step in core-network technology: 100-Gbps Ethernet, known as “100G” (100G, formally known as IEEE 802.3ba, was announced in December 2007).
For the last several years, 40-Gbps fiber links were considered laboratory projects. They’ve started to move into deployment. You can tell that is the case when people start talking about reducing the cost of 40-Gbps optical components.
At Tuesday’s plenary session, Pieter Poll, CTO at Qwest Communications, told the crowd that “IP traffic is increasing faster than Moore’s Law” and that 100-Gbps networks will need more complex circuits than 10-Gbps and 40-Gbps links. He expects IEEE 802.3ba to be ratified in 2009, with components appearing on the market starting between 2010 and 2012. He also noted that today’s 10-Gbps networks need to become more economical and more reliable and that 40 Gbps will be an interim technology before service providers move to 100 Gbps.
Following Poll, Ethernet inventor Bob Metcalfe went a step further, predicting the advent of terabit Ethernet. Metcalfe predicted that the first terabit networks in labs will appear in 2015. “Applications will drive terabit Ethernet,” he said, “and television will top the list.” In fact, you can already see it coming given the proliferation of IPTV and Web sites such as YouTube. “If we build terabyte Ethernet, they will come,” he said. But, he warned that moving to terabit networks will require a new fiber infrastructure, citing that the existing “plumbing” won’t handle the speed.
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| OFCNFOEC: The increasing demand for bandwidth |
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Metcalfe also predicted that Ethernet will eventually kill SONET because Ethernet standards provide no design options, which improve on interoperability. “Standards fail because they put too much emphasis in standards compliance and not enough emphasis on interoperability.” He went on to say that “OC-768 will be the last SONET standard. There will be no OC-3072.” (SONET usually leaps in multiples of 4, thus the 4x768, or 3072.)
On the show floor
Because the IEEE 802.3ba standard will likely include transmitter waveform dispersion penalty (TWDP) testing, Agilent Technologies as added Option 201 to its 86100C DCA-J digital communications analyzer. Option 201 lets the instrument run Matlab scripts, including one for TWDP testing. To run the scripts, you need option 201 and firmware version 8.0 (a free upgrade). You will also need to purchase a copy of Matlab and install it into the DCA-J.
Agilent also introduced the N7744A (4 channel) and N7745A (8 channel) optical multiport power meters. These faceless meters, designed for production testing of optical components, feature a mechanical interface that lets you connect four inputs at a time through a connector that holds four optical fibers. In production, the connector can travel with four fibers, reducing connecting time during each power measurement.
Circadiant Systems displayed its first electrical-to-optical converter for its modular stressed-eye test systems. The module lets engineers test SFP+ optical modules by providing the analog 10-Gbps signal that the module requires.
EXFO introduced enhancements to its IQS-12001B Cable Assembly and Component Test System, used in production of cable assemblies and fiber-to-the-x (FTTx) components. The enhanced IQS-12001B can measure reflectance of very short passive optical network (PON) components such as splitters with 1-m pigtails. Software tools include real-time monitoring and production history views. The company also introduced the IQS-8130NGE and IQS-8120NGE Power Blazer modules for its IQS-500 and IQS-600 modular test systems. The IQS-8130NGE supports 10.7 Gbps for OTN and 10 Gbps for both SONET/SDH and Ethernet. The IQS-8120NGE handles OTN rates up to 2.7 Gbps for SONET/SDH testing up to 2.5 Gbps and Ethernet testing rates up to 1 GigE.
Luna Technologies launched the Precision Reflectometer 4400. With –90-dB sensitivity and 70-dB dynamic range, the 4400 is used for verifying PON fibers up to 2-km long with no dead zone. The company also introduced a 48-port optical switch for use with its optical network analyzers.
SyntheSys Research introduced two instruments that enhance its BertScope flagship product. The BertScope LTS8500A optical transmitter is the company’s first light source. It’s an 850-nm multimode light source that lets you perform stressed-eye testing of optical receivers. It's controlled by the BertScope through a USB link. For transmitter testing, the company released the BertScope digital communications receiver with jitter analysis (DCRj) for measuring jitter in 10-GbE and OC-192 links.
Yokogawa displayed its new AQ6375 optical spectrum analyzer. This instrument is capable of measuring optical spectra on long wavelength (1200 nm to2400 nm) light.
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