The Ethernet
Alliance, a global consortium dedicated to the continued success and
advancement of Ethernet technologies today announced it will once again
be taking part in the Optical
Fiber Communication Conference and Exposition (OFC 2014), March 11 –
13, 2014 in San Francisco, Calif. A premier global optical
communications and networking event, the conference is playing host to
the Ethernet Alliance’s live multi-vendor demo in booth number 2415, as
well as panel sessions featuring experts drawn from across the Ethernet
ecosystem. The organization will also be exploring the growing role and
influence of optics in Ethernet’s expanding global footprint and ongoing
evolution.
“Ethernet is evolving rapidly to address an explosion of new
applications in previously untapped markets. The idea of Ethernet
everywhere is fast becoming a reality and optics is one of the key
drivers behind rising global adoption rates,” said Scott Kipp,
president, Ethernet Alliance, and principal hardware engineer, Brocade.
“Ethernet is the number one consumer of optics, a trend we see
accelerating as speeds climb higher and data centers grow larger. The
optics of Ethernet serve as a change-agent for innovation across the
whole of the Ethernet ecosystem, as illuminated in the Ethernet
Alliance’s OFC 2014 demo and panels.”
The Ethernet Alliance’s live OFC 2014 demonstration incorporates 10, 40,
and 100 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) optics and copper cabling. 10GbE features
10GBASE-T, as well as high-density breakouts from QSFP+ to 4X10GbE
SFP+. The network’s core will be running at 40GbE and connect to servers
at 40GbE. For the first time, three generations of 100GbE modules,
including CFP, CXP, CFP2, and CFP4, provided by multiple vendors, will
interoperate and support 100GBASE-SR4, 100GBASE-SR10 and 100GBASE-LR4.
The demo will also illustrate the broad diversity of media, such as
twinaxial and Category 7 (CAT7) cabling, and single- and multimode fiber
that are supported by Ethernet. Ethernet Alliance member companies
taking part in the multi-vendor demo include Amphenol Corporation (NYSE:
APH); AppliedMicro (NASDAQ: AMCC); Brocade (NASDAQ: BRCD); Finisar
(NASDAQ: FNSR); Intel (NASDAQ: INTC); Ixia (NASDAQ: XXIA); JDS Uniphase
Corporation (NASDAQ: JDSU); Spirent Communications (LSE: SPT.L); and
Volex (LSE: VLX).
Additionally, on March 11, 2014 in Theater III South Hall of San
Francisco’s Moscone Center, the Ethernet Alliance is hosting a series of
sessions featuring a diverse array of experts from across the Ethernet
ecosystem:
-
100G Single Lambda Optics – 2:30pm PST. Led by Chris Cole,
director, transceiver engineering, Finisar, panelists Chris Doerr,
director of integrated photonics, Acacia Communications; Mark Nowell,
senior director of engineering and CTO, Cisco Systems; Sudeep Bhoja,
CTO, infrastructure/networking, Inphi Corporation; and Beck Mason,
vice president, R&D, JDSU, will discuss optics ability to scale to
meet growing demand for larger data centers and ultra-dense 100Gbe and
400GbE, as well as the potential path forward for single wavelength
100GbE optical interfaces for future network applications.
-
Snapshot on 400GE Standardization – 3:15pm PST. With
moderator Nathan Tracy, technologist, systems architecture group, TE
Connectivity, panelists Jeffery J. Maki, distinguished engineer,
optical, Juniper Networks, and Mark Gustlin, principal system
architect, Xilinx, will explore survey topics currently under
discussion within the recently formed IEEE Standards Association
(IEEE-SA) IEEE 802.3™ 400 Gigabyte per second (Gb/s) Ethernet study
group.
-
New Standards for Ethernet Access Networks – 4:00pm PST.
Moderator Howard Frazier, senior technical director, Broadcom, and
panelists Edwin Mallette, IEEE Service Interoperability for EPON
(SIPEON) Conformance Assessment Steering Group and distinguished
engineer, Bright House Networks; Glen Kramer, chair, IEEE 1904.1™
SIEPON Working Group and technical director, Broadcom; Mark Laubach,
Chair, IEEE 802.3 EPON Protocol over Coax (EPoC) PHY Task Force and
technical director, Broadcom; and Hesham ElBakoury, principal
engineer, Huawei Technologies, will examine Ethernet’s demonstrated
success in the deployment of Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Networks
(GEPON) and 10G-EPON subscriber access networks. Discussions will also
center around new IEEE P1904.1 SIPEON and IEEE P802.3bn™ EPoC
standards, and their implications for the next generation of Ethernet
Access Networks.
For more information about the Ethernet Alliance at OFC 2014, please
visit http://www.ethernetalliance.org,
follow @EthernetAllianc
on Twitter, visit its Facebook
page, or join the EA LinkedIn
group.
About the Ethernet Alliance
The Ethernet Alliance is a global consortium that includes system and
component vendors, industry experts, and university and government
professionals who are committed to the continued success and expansion
of Ethernet technology. The Ethernet Alliance takes Ethernet standards
to market by supporting activities that span from incubation of new
Ethernet technologies to interoperability demonstrations and education.
Individuals who would like to receive updates on Ethernet Alliance news,
activities and events may sign up for the organization’s newsletter at www.ethernetalliance.org/newsletter.
Additional Quotes:
“Amphenol is once again proud to be part of the Ethernet Alliance live
demo at this year’s OFC exhibition. The OFC conference and exhibition is
one of the premier Optical events of the year. The Ethernet Alliance
booth is a great place for designers and end users to get unbiased
information on the latest in GbE, and see the latest products in live
and static demos. Amphenol will be demonstrating our world class 10GbE
SFP+ and 40GbE QSFP+ interconnect systems. From our passive, active
copper cables and our latest AOC’s (Active Optical Cable assemblies) to
our SFP+ and QSFP+ cages and connectors. Additionally we will be
showcasing a new offering of High Density (HD) rack mount optical
connectivity panels and trunk cable solutions designed to increase
density to improve cable routing and tray congestion.” – Greg McSorley,
technical business development manager, Amphenol
"Market demand for cost-effective, high density, high performance
interconnects in cloud computing and data center environments is driving
a new generation of flexible high bandwidth devices. AppliedMicro is
pleased to be a participant in the Ethernet Alliance interoperability
demonstration showcasing the industry's first 100G Gearbox 2 with MLG
support. The Gearbox 2 is a member of AppliedMicro's revolutionary
X-Weave™ product family and is designed for high density, high bandwidth
applications in routers, switches and servers supporting 10G, 40G or
100G Ethernet." – Michael Girvan Lampe, vice president, sales and
marketing, AppliedMicro
“Finisar is excited to demonstrate our CFP4 optical modules showcasing
100GE interoperability with other members of the Ethernet Alliance. As
the CFP form factor family continues to evolve, the higher port
densities enabled by the CFP4 modules will support the increasing
bandwidth needs in data centers and carrier networks,” – Christian
Urricariet, director of marketing for high-speed products, Finisar
Corporation
“Increasing computing requirements, especially in cloud and
communications market segments, are fueling the need for greater
networking speeds. While copper interconnects are sufficient for 1GbE
and 10GbE, higher networking speeds require optical solutions. Intel
views optical as the future for Ethernet and other networks, which
motivates our investments in cost-effective optical solutions.” – Steve
Schultz, director of product marketing, networking division, Intel
“Ethernet is constantly evolving, and the shift from 10 and 40 GbE
adoption to 100 and 400 GbE adoption means that the
networking industry must evolve alongside it to keep up. Our work with
the Ethernet Alliance highlights our commitment to providing
leading-edge testing solutions that will ensure that data center
operators are ready for the change. Solutions like our Xcellon-Multis
platform, with fan out technology to support HSE from 10 GbE up to 100
GbE in a single load module, will be showcased at OFC 2014 to
demonstrate how they can scale network testing while using less space
and few resources." – Jim Smith, vice president of marketing, Ixia Test
Solutions
“JDSU is excited to promote and advance the Ethernet for the next
generation of networks as part of the Ethernet Alliance. As an enabler
of today’s high-speed networks, JDSU is committed to provide innovation
and value to our customers. Along with our leading edge 100Gb CFP2 and
CFP4 LR4 products our portfolio of 10Gb fixed and tunable SFP+, 40Gb
QSFP+, 100Gb components, and ROADM products provide a broad offering of
client and line side building blocks for 100G networks and beyond. Come
see our full suite of telecom and datacom network solutions at booth
1315 during OFC 2014 in San Francisco.” – Tom Fawcett, vice president,
business development, JDSU
"Cloud and Telecom service providers are increasing the density of their
100G Ethernet offerings to meet the exploding bandwidth consumption. And
the form factor of next-generation optics helps achieve these higher
densities. At the Ethernet Alliance booth, Spirent will demonstrate
multi-vendor interoperability to validate the different generations of
100G offerings. Spirent will showcase its 2- and 4-port 100G Ethernet
modules with support for CFP2 and CFP4 transceivers.” – Rajesh Rajamani,
market segment leader, Spirent Communications
“Volex is pleased to participate in the Ethernet Alliance
interoperability demo at the 2014 Optical Fiber Conference in San
Francisco. With Cloud Computing and Big Data fueling the need for next
generation data centers, the demand for 10G and 40G connectivity
continues to grow, and the importance of interoperability continues to
escalate. The Ethernet Alliance interoperability demo is an excellent
opportunity for Volex to showcase our standard product offering for
Ethernet and datacenter connectivity. Be it copper or fiber, passive or
active, 10G or 40G Volex has your interconnect solutions. Come by booth
number 2415 to see our demonstration and talk with our product
specialists.” – Matt Davis, high speed product marketing manager, Volex
Copyright Business Wire 2014