JANUARY 5, 2010 -- Finisar Corp. and Ixia, providers of high-speed optical communications and performance testing equipment, respectively, have successfully demonstrated interoperability between Ixia's K2 100-Gbps and 40-Gbps IP test interfaces with Finisar's 100-Gigabit Ethernet (100GbE) CFP optical transceiver modules.
The test setup included a Finisar 100GbE LR4 CFP optical transceiver module operating in the Ixia K2 100-Gbps Ethernet/IP test module. Error-free operation was demonstrated by transmitting IP packets to a second Finisar 100GbE LR4 CFP optical module over 25 km of singlemode fiber, exceeding the 10-km distance being standardized for this application by the IEEE.
"Initial performance testing of the Finisar 100GbE LR4 CFP transceiver in their facility was very promising," says Glenn Wellbrock, director of optical transport, network architecture and design for Verizon, who witnessed the event. "I look forward to testing the module in our laboratories together with system vendors soon."
Finisar's 100GbE LR4 CFP optical transceivers are compliant with the CFP multisource agreement (MSA) and support the 100GBase-LR4 (4x25G) optical interface standardized in the IEEE P802.3ba Draft document. They are part of a family of Finisar CFP transceiver modules that also includes 40GbE and multimode fiber versions. Finisar's entire portfolio of transceiver modules utilize internally developed ICs and internally packaged optics.
"Demonstrating interoperability of 100GbE CFP modules with leading 100GbE test systems is a very positive milestone for the entire industry," claims Christian Urricariet, director of product marketing for high-speed optics at Finisar. "We are convinced that the LR4 versions of the pluggable CFP transceivers will enable successful 100G Ethernet deployments by our key customers."
Ixia says its K2 higher-speed Ethernet (HSE) load module is the industry's first and only 100GbE IP test tool that is capable of transmitting, receiving, and analyzing full line-rate 100-Gbps Ethernet traffic. It is the latest load module in Ixia's test platform, which includes test chassis and load modules designed for different interface types and speeds. All load modules, including the 40GbE and 100GbE models, test the full range of IP networking devices -- from Layers 2 through 7.
"Ixia's use of the Finisar CFP demonstrates the feasibility of pluggable optics for both 40/100GbE," says Errol Ginsberg, chief innovation officer of Ixia. "We believe this extremely successful demonstration conducted by Ixia and Finisar for carriers, such as Verizon, shows that 100GbE technology is quickly moving forward and will soon approach the deployment phase."
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