The Ethernet Alliance is hosting a multivendor plugfest the week of June 26-30 at the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory. The test event focuses on 25GBase-R and 100GBase-R high-speed Ethernet technologies, the alliance said.
“One fundamental aspect of Ethernet is its ongoing cycle of continuous improvement and evolution,” commented Greg McSorley, an Ethernet Alliance board member and technical business development manager with Amphenol Corporation. “25GBase-R and 100GBase-R are important milestones on Ethernet’s roadmap; this progression toward higher speeds is opening the door to a new era of innovation for data centers, enterprises, and beyond. The industry and end users alike are looking to capitalize on the next era of Ethernet innovation, and it’s incumbent on the Ethernet Alliance to make that happen. By hosting events like the 25GBase-R and 100GBase-R interoperability plugfest, we’re both fulfilling our mission of advancing Ethernet and helping to facilitate the transition to tomorrow’s higher-speed interconnects.”
On its Standards Informant website, Siemon provides detail on 25GBase-R technology. On a page describing IEEE 802.3by-2016 (25-Gbit/sec Ethernet), Siemon explains, “This amendment defines 25-Gbit/sec physical layer (PHY) specifications for operation up to 100 meters of multimode optical fiber and up to 5 meters of a single lane (two pairs) of twinaxial cable and attachment interfaces supporting 25-Gbit/sec transmission in electrical backplanes.”
Siemon further explains that the 25GBase-CR specification is “25 Gbits/sec using 25GBase-R encoding over one lane of twinaxial copper cable,” 25GBase-KR is “25 Gbits/sec using 25GBase-R encoding over one lane of an electrical backplane,” and 25GBase-SR is “25 Gbits/sec using 25GBase-R encoding over one line (i.e. 2 fibers total) of multimode fiber with reach up to at least 100 meters.”
Also on its Standards Informant site, on a page describing IEEE 802.3bj-2014, Siemon explains, “This amendment defines three four-lane PHY specifications and management parameters for 100-Gbit/sec operation over backplanes and twinaxial copper cables …”
The company then points out that 100GBase-CR4 uses “100GBase-R encoding and Clause 91 RS-FEC over four lanes of shielded twinaxial copper cabling, with reach up to at least 5 meters,” 100GBase-KP4 uses “100GBase-R encoding, Clause 91 RS-FEC, and 4-level pulse amplitude modulation over four lanes of an electric backplane …” and 100GBase-KR4 uses “100GBase-R encoding, Clause 91 RS-FEC, and 2-level pulse amplitude modulation over four lanes of an electrical backplane …”
The Ethernet Alliance further stated, “With rising bandwidth demand and the expansion of data center footprints, it is critical to get new, higher-speed Ethernet technologies to end users as quickly as possible. To help accelerate delivery of these next-generation solutions to market, the Ethernet Alliance multivendor interoperability 25GBase-SR and 100GBase-SR plugfest will provide participants the opportunity to thoroughly test their forward-looking Ethernet technologies in a collaborative, vendor-neutral environment. With 17 members attending, the plugfest includes representation from across the whole of the Ethernet ecosystem.”
You can find more information on the Ethernet Alliance here. You can visit Siemon’s Standards Informant here.