FEBRUARY 25, 2008 -- The Ethernet Alliance today announced the formation of the Small Form Factor Pluggable Module/Electronic Dispersion Compensation (SFP+/EDC) subcommittee, formerly known as the 10GBase-LRM subcommittee.
The mission of the SFP+/EDC subcommittee is to promote 10-Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) by providing information and education on the new SFP+ form factor and associated EDC host ICs, and to demonstrate interoperability and technical feasibility of SFP+ through plug-fests and other activities.
SFP+ modules are hot-pluggable, small-footprint optical transceivers designed to support 10GbE data communication applications. The 10GbE SFP+ optical transceivers include the short-wavelength, multimode fiber transceiver (10GBase-SR); the long-wavelength, singlemode fiber transceiver (10GBase-LR); and the long-wavelength, multimode fiber transceiver (10GBase-LRM). Direct-attach SFP+ copper cables are also being developed for shorter connections. Emerging SFP+ interfaces offer a low-cost, high-density alternative for system providers and customers implementing 10GbE in data centers and corporate networks.
EDC is a key enabling physical-layer technology for high-speed communications that compensates for optical and electrical signal impairments. The host ICs designed for 10GbE SFP+ incorporate EDC technology compliant with IEEE 802.3 10GbE optical interface specifications to allow flexibility in host board and connector design.
The SFP+/EDC subcommittee plans to host two plug-fests in 2008. The first plug-fest will be held from March 31 to April 4 at the University of New Hampshire Interoperability Lab (UNH-IOL). Ethernet Alliance members will demonstrate technology readiness by presenting several 10GBase-SR and 10GBase-LR SFP+ optical modules interoperating with different EDC ICs in a host reference configuration, ensuring IEEE 802.3ae-2002 compliance. The second plug-fest, to be held later this year, will demonstrate 10GBase-LRM interfaces interoperating with different EDC ICs, ensuring compliance with IEEE 802.3aq-2006.
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