Ethernet Alliance plans higher speed Ethernet interoperability plugfest for October 2021

May 7, 2021
As the name implies, the plugfest is an opportunity for technology developers to evaluate how successfully they’ve achieved the interoperability the Ethernet standards are designed to promote.

The Ethernet Alliance, via a blog written by High Speed Networking (HSN) Subcommittee Co-Chair Kent Lusted of Intel, has revealed plans for its next high-speed transceiver interoperability plugfest. The event will take place this October at the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Lab (UNH-IOL).

Subsequent to the original publication of this story, a spokesperson revealed that the initial planning for the invent includes both hybrid live/virtual and all in-person formats. If circumstances dictate a hybrid approach, the event will be held over the weeks of October 11 and 18; if fully in-person, the plugfest will be held the week of the 11th.

As the name implies, the plugfest is an opportunity for technology developers to evaluate how successfully they’ve achieved the interoperability the Ethernet standards are designed to promote (potentially while maintaining some degree of differentiation from competing products). The events have been particularly popular as new generations of Ethernet technology are nearing commercial availability (see, for example, "Ethernet Alliance wraps second Higher Speed Networking Plugfest of 2018").

For example, Lusted notes that the upcoming plugfest will likely be the first to see products based on 100-Gbps/lane Ethernet electrical PHYs and electrical interfaces; 50-Gbps/lane technology also is likely to get a workout. Overall, the plugfest is expected to draw from several corners of the industry, with participants likely bringing modules in OSFP, QSFP, QSFP-DD, and SFP connector form factors; electronics such as Ethernet switches, FPGAs, and NICs; electrical and optical interconnect products; and test and measurement equipment with varying electrical and optical testing methodologies.

The Ethernet Alliance HSN subcommittee will develop the test suites and test criteria for the October 2021 HSN Plugfest “in the coming months,” according to Lusted. The group is open to input and feedback from the industry as this effort progresses. Attendance at the event is limited to Ethernet Alliance members; information on joining the group is available on the Ethernet Alliance website.

For related articles, visit the Optical Technologies Topic Center.

For more information on optical modules and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.

To stay abreast of optical communications technology, subscribe to Lightwave’s Enabling Technologies newsletter.