400G ethernet test module | FTBx-88460

Key features

400G Ethernet testing capabilities based on the draft IEEE 802.3bs standard

With EXFO’s Open Transceiver System (OTS): innovative, evolutionary design enabling any transceiver (now or future) to fit into an EXFO test solution

FlexE (Flex Ethernet) testing capabilities with low- and high-speed Ethernet clients

Integrated 4 x QSFP28, QSFP-DD, CFP8 and OSFP interfaces to facilitate the testing of 400G networks

Compatible with EXFO’s LTB-8 Rackmount Platform featuring hot-swap capability for lab use and best-in-class 400G port density with up to two modules running simultaneously

Compatible with the portable FTB-4 Pro Platform for the market’s most compact 400G solution—ready for lab-to-field transition applications

Supported by EXFO Multilink, a web-based application for easy multi-user management and remote access

Supports quick optical transceiver validation and sanity check using iOptics, an intelligent pluggable optics test application

Supports EXFO TFv-Test Function Virtualization, including FTB Anywhere floating licenses and FTB OnDemand time-based licenses for ultimate flexibility

Description

To keep pace with bandwidth demands, network operators are supporting higher transmission rates and data centers are upgrading both the capacity and number of their facilities. The industry standards’ bodies are pushed to develop more and faster Ethernet speeds, such as 400GE, to support trends like IoT, cloud, big data, and 5G.

Network infrastructure planners must deal with skyrocketing demands for more bandwidth, including in the data center interconnect (DCI) or even in core and metro networks. Network equipment manufacturers (NEMs) continue to push the limits of technology, developing increasingly innovative 400G solutions. Service providers are constantly expanding their networks, looking for more efficient and cost-effective ways to deploy those high-speed circuits.

Preparing the 400G ecosystem for prime time

Enter the compact FTBx-88460 Power Blazer modules. Offering a complete suite of 400G ecosystem testing capabilities, they address the requirements of early adopters and transition smoothly from in-lab innovation to testing in the field.

Compatible with rackmount and portable platforms

These Power Blazer modules are compatible with EXFO’s LTB-8 Rackmount Platform featuring the ability to support up to two modules running simultaneously for the industry’s only solution that can test up to 800G.

When portability is needed, insert modules into the FTB-4 Pro for the most compact 400G solution on the market—easy to transport both within and outside the lab environment.

400G Ethernet

The FTBx-88460 Power Blazer Series offers advanced Ethernet testing capabilities, including forward error correction monitoring and validation. The Power Blazer’s 400G Ethernet testing capabilities include:

400G Ethernet MAC PCS/PMA/PMD layer testing
FEC KP4 RS (544, 514) decoding and error correction
Test pattern monitoring
MDIO read/write
Alarms/errors generating and monitoring
Skew measurement per lane
FEC testing
BER monitoring

FlexE (Flex Ethernet)

Flex Ethernet is a key technology for data centers, helping them deliver links that are faster than emerging 400G solutions. The Flex Ethernet (FlexE) supports one or more bonded 100GBASE-R PHYs supporting multiple and mixed Ethernet MAC clients operating at rates of 5, 10, 25, 40, 50, 100 or up to 400 Gbit/s. It also supports sub-rate links i.e., 10G, 25G and 50G, which are essential for data centers but also for carriers that need to isolate their traffic.

FlexE testing capabilities include:

FlexE groups
Mixed Ethernet client types
Client ID edition
FlexE shim configuration
FlexE alarms/errors generation and monitoring
Alignment marker corruption and substitution
Full client to calendar slot assignment edition capabilities

Advanced optics support

The following transceivers are supported on the FTBx-88460: QSFP-DD (TA4), CFP8 (TA4), QSFP28

Rapid evolution in transceiver technology

Whether motivated by cost, power requirements, space or increased demand for bandwidth, pluggable transceivers are evolving rapidly. Predicting how long an existing transceiver will be required before another comes along to take its place is tough—making the obsolescence of today’s hardware simply a waiting game.

Another challenge is that network operators and data centers still need to support existing technologies, but also be ready to address new rates and technologies without always doing forklift upgrades. New high-speed transceivers (pluggables) are being designed to be smaller and consume less power in order to meet the requirements of delivering high port density at a low cost. Whether it’s QSFP-DD, OSFP, or even COBO, it’s clear that in the upcoming 400G world, integrating all these into a network—as well as testing and validating them—is a huge task. The smart move is to allocate budget for versatile—not limited—solutions.

EXFO’s Open Transceiver System (OTS)

Introducing a new concept available on the FTBx-88460 Power Blazer module: EXFO’s Open Transceiver System (OTS). The OTS is an innovative, evolutionary design enabling any transceiver (now or future) to fit into an EXFO test solution. Benefits include:

Experience ultimate flexibility—swap out OTS modules right in the field, lab or on the production floor, choosing only the ones needed for whichever applications, rates or technologies under test.
Save tens of thousands of dollars by eliminating the necessity to completely replace an expensive testing module. Instead, change a less costly OTS module and extend the life of testing equipment.
Support multiple transceiver types simultaneously with a future-proof architecture designed to handle both current and upcoming high-speed transceiver technologies as they are developed and launched.

Support for multiple transceiver types

The FTBx-88460 Power Blazer module supports the transceiver types listed below.

QSFP-DD support