Latest Ethernet Alliance Plugfest Reaches New Heights of Success
Business Wire 26-Feb-2019 10:09 AM
High Speed Networking interoperability test event attracts diverse
array of Ethernet solutions and participants
The Ethernet
Alliance, a global consortium dedicated to the continued success and
advancement of Ethernet technologies, today unveiled results of its most
recent High Speed Networking (HSN) Plugfest. Held the week of
December 3, 2018, at the University
of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) in Durham,
N.H., the multi-vendor interoperability test event drew 22 participating
companies with solutions spanning the whole of the Ethernet ecosystem.
Beyond the high aggregated success rate for all testing, the plugfest
achieved greater than 95 percent success in testing of solutions ranging
from 50 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) to 400GbE, highlighting the growing
maturity of PAM4 signaling while still meeting the industry's
multi-vendor interoperability demand.
"This latest HSN Plugfest was one of the most exciting testing
events the Ethernet industry has seen to-date. A considerable number and
diversity of products and technologies were tested against both IEEE
standards and 100G
Lambda Multisource Agreement (MSA) Group specifications. It's events
like this that reinforce Ethernet's core value proposition: unparalleled
multi-vendor interoperability," said Dave Chalupsky, plugfest chair and
Board of Directors member, Ethernet Alliance; and principal engineer,
Intel Corporation. "The exceptional volume of both industry attendance
and successful tests shows that our members are committed to Ethernet's
continued growth and evolution, while delivering the best experience for
end users. It was a fabulous opportunity for engineers to debug issues
and improve product interoperability in a confidential environment. We
are already looking ahead to the next plugfest."
The weeklong Ethernet Alliance HSN Plugfest commanded record
participation from leading Ethernet product and solution vendors, with
22 companies from across the Ethernet ecosystem testing a broad variety
of equipment and technologies. Ranging from speeds of 25GbE to 400GbE in
form factors including OSFP, QSFP, QSFP-DD, and SFP, among items tested
were Ethernet switches and NICs, electrical and optical interconnect
products, test and measurement equipment, and electrical and optical
testing methodologies.
Throughout the duration of the event more than 320 Frame Error Rate
(FER) tests were performed, as well as physical layer parametric testing
on both electrical and optical interfaces. Of particular interest to the
community was completing optical transmitter dispersion eye closure
(TDECQ) tests on multiple products using test equipment from different
manufacturers, building confidence in this new methodology for PAM4
optical specifications. FER tests on 50G PAM4 and 100G PAM4 optics
showed a pass rate of 96 percent in more than 79 trials. 50G PAM4
electrical signaling showed a FER pass rate of 99 percent in 160 trials
on cables up to 3m in length. These results mark a major step forward in
the transition from NRZ to PAM4 signaling for high-speed serial
interfaces.
Attracting strong interest from the Ethernet community, the HSN Plugfest
was open to both Ethernet Alliance members and 100G Lambda MSA Group
members. Among the companies capitalizing on the competitive advantages
offered by the event's secure testing environment were Amphenol
Corporation (NYSE: APH);
Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE: ANET);
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO);
ColorChip Ltd.; Finisar (NASDAQ: FNSR);
Foxconn Technology Co., Ltd. (TSE: 2354);
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Company (NYSE: HPE);
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC);
Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE: JNPR);
Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS);
Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: LITE);
Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (NYSE: MRVL);
Oclaro, Inc.; The Siemon Company; Spectra7 Microsystems Ltd. (TSX: SEV);
Spirent Communications plc (LSE: SPT);
TE Connectivity Ltd. (NYSE: TEL);
Tektronix, Inc.; Teledyne LeCroy, Inc. (NYSE: TDY);
Wilder Technologies; Xena Networks ApS; and Zhongji Innolight Co. Ltd.
(SZSE: 300308).
Additional HSN Plugfest events are currently in the planning
stages and are expected to fill quickly when announced. Companies
interested in taking part in these vital multi-vendor interoperability
events are encouraged to secure their participation by becoming Ethernet
Alliance members.
Many of the technologies tested during this plugfest are also available
for viewing as part of the organization's live, interactive demo in
booth 4749 on the OFC
2019 expo floor.
"Events like our HSN Plugfest are an essential tool for
developers – the industry is in the early stages of new implementations
of next-gen Ethernet products and solutions. What we're learning here
delivers foundational support for the continued advancement of these
technologies, as the data gets fed back into the product and standards
development process," said John D'Ambrosia, chairman, Ethernet Alliance.
"The Ethernet Alliance is committed to ensuring that Ethernet's
multi-vendor interoperability is maintained, and the wholesale support
our plugfests are receiving shows the Ethernet ecosystem is fully behind
these efforts."
For more information about the Ethernet Alliance, please visit http://www.ethernetalliance.org,
follow @EthernetAllianc
on Twitter, visit its Facebook
page, or join its LinkedIn
group.
About
the Ethernet Alliance
The Ethernet Alliance is a global consortium that includes system and
component vendors, industry experts, and university and government
professionals who are committed to the continued success and expansion
of Ethernet technology. The Ethernet Alliance takes Ethernet standards
to market by supporting activities that span from incubation of new
Ethernet technologies to interoperability demonstrations and education.
The organization's plans for 2019 may be found at https://ethernetalliance.org/member-events/.
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