Ethernet Alliance members demo interoperability of 10GBASE-LRM optical interfaces

OCTOBER 9, 2006 -- The Ethernet Alliance (search Ethernet Alliance), an industry group dedicated to the expansion of Ethernet technology, today announced that members Excelight/Sumitomo, Fiberxon, Finisar, Fujitsu, Intel, Opnext, and Picolight successfully conducted multi-vendor interoperability testing of 10GBASE-LRM (search 10GBASE-LRM) optical interfaces in support of the IEEE Std. 802.3aq-2006.

Conducted at the Cisco Photonics Labs in Monza, Italy, from September 18-22, the tests evaluated various optical transceiver form factors (including X2, XFP, and SFP+) over 220 meters of OM1 (62.5-micron) multimode fiber, and 260 meters of OM2 (50-micron) multimode fiber.

The 802.3aq serial optical interface standard (also known as 10GBASE-LRM) was developed by the IEEE to provide a cost-effective and small form factor-compatible 10-Gigabit Ethernet optical link for extended reach applications on legacy multimode fiber.

The 10GBASE-LRM standard was approved for publication during the week of September 17 and is expected to be published this month. 10GBASE-LRM uses electronic dispersion compensation (EDC) techniques to support transmission of 220 meters on installed multimode fiber plant in enterprise networks. This enables the easy upgrade to 10 Gigabit Ethernet of existing fiber connections between data center switches and workgroup switches.

"By demonstrating multi-vendor compatibility, this interoperability event shows the maturity of the new LRM industry standard and demonstrates that LRM is ready for the market," contends Brad Booth, president of the Ethernet Alliance. "LRM is an important solution that will enable the industry to accelerate 10-Gigabit Ethernet deployments, particularly for wiring closet applications."

"With increasing 10G switch port densities, OEMs are looking for smaller and cheaper form factors," adds Jag Bolaria, senior analyst with the Linley Group. "We expect LRM to meet these requirements and help drive volume forI10 Gigabit Ethernet." U

Additional information on the interoperability demonstration will be available in a white paper slated for publication on the Ethernet Alliance Web site in late October.

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