Mar 5 2014
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.