How to Test 100G Ethernet

100 Gigabit Ethernet

40 Gigabit Ethernet, or 40GbE, and 100 Gigabit Ethernet, or 100GbE, are Ethernet standards developed by IEEE P802.3ba Ethernet Task Force which started in November 2007, and ratified in June 2010.

These standards support sending Ethernet frames at 40 and 100 gigabits per second over multiple 10 Gb/s or 25 Gb/s lanes. Previously, the fastest published Ethernet standard was 10 Gigabit Ethernet.

Original work on the project was started by IEEE 802.3 Higher Speed Study Group. The P802.3ba Ethernet Task Force commenced on December 5, 2007 with the following project authorization request:

The purpose of this project is to extend the 802.3 protocol to operating speeds of 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s in order to provide a significant increase in bandwidth while maintaining maximum compatibility with the installed base of 802.3 interfaces, previous investment in research and development, and principles of network operation and management.

The project is to provide for the interconnection of equipment satisfying the distance requirements of the intended applications.

The 40/100 Gigabit Ethernet standards encompass a number of different physical layer (PHY) standards. A networking device may support different PHY types by means of pluggable PHY modules. Optical modules are not standardized 802.3 but are in multi-source agreements (MSAs).

One standardized module that supports 40 and 100 Gigabit Ethernet is the CFP MSA which has been adopted for distances of 100+ meters. QSFP and CXP modules support shorter distances.

The objectives of the standard also state that only full-duplex operation will be supported.

Other electrical objectives include:

Preserve the 802.3 / Ethernet frame format utilizing the 802.3 MAC
Preserve minimum and maximum FrameSize of current 802.3 standard
Support a bit error ratio (BER) better than or equal to 10 − 12 at the MAC/PLS service interface
Provide appropriate support for OTN
Support MAC data rates of 40 and 100 Gbit/s
Provide Physical Layer specifications (PHY) for operation over single-mode optical fiber (SMF), OM3 multi-mode optical fiber (MMF), copper cable assembly, and backplane.