August 2020 Tech Focus

Tech Focus

High-Speed Interconnects

Interconnect: Testing in the Fast Lane

High-speed wired interconnect testing of interfaces like PCI Express and Ethernet are very challenging as speeds continue to rise. The need for reliable, high throughput solutions has required the use of technologies like forward error correction (FEC) and 4-Level Pulse-Amplitude Modulation (PAM4).

Test equipment to handle these interconnects have to not only handle the high speeds, but also more demanding protocols. They are also the basis for more advanced systems such as NVMe, which runs on top of PCI Express. There is even an NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-oF) that runs over interconnects like Ethernet.

Multi-Terabit Test Solution

Keysight’s new UHD100T32 test system, co-developed with Barefoot Networks, is purpose-built to meet the requirements of the modern networking infrastructure ecosystem. In a 1U box, users get 3.2 Tbps of line-rate test traffic from 32 ports of 100GE, a requirement to validate the performance of ultra-high-density devices like those found in today’s data centers and in manufacturing use-cases for full-box tests in production lines.

The 50/40/25/10GE enabled UHD100T32 can test all speeds in a data-center fabric, with Keysight’s technology for Layer 2/3 traffic generation and analysis, as well as RFC 2544 tests for benchmarking throughput and latency of devices. Optional routing protocols for Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), and Intermediate System to Intermediate System (ISIS) are available to emulate from control plane to data plane for convergence testing. Clientless operation via web interface and a “Representational State Transfer” (REST) application programming interface (API) enable faster time-to-test and easy automation.

In-Vehicle communications solution

Automotive Ethernet is a new solution for in-vehicle communications, offering date speeds up to 10Gbps. For data speeds up to 1Gbps (1000BASE-T1), the communication link can run on unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cabling. However, for speeds of 1Gbps and higher, electromagnetic interference (EMI) becomes increasingly critical and can potentially threaten the integrity of other communications within the vehicle.

The OPEN Alliance TC9 group, which defines the requirements of cables and connectors for in-vehicle networks using automotive Ethernet, is now focusing on shielded cabling in order to minimize emissions, as the industry moves towards much faster speeds. Rohde & Schwarz assisted TE Connectivity in verifying the development and manufacturing of the cables and connector components used. The compliance tests were performed on STP cables with TE’s MATEnet terminals and connectors using the R&S ZNB vector network analyzer together with the integrated in-situ de-embedding (ISD) function from AtaiTec. Rohde & Schwarz

Protocol Exerciser/Analyzer for PCI Express 5.0

Teledyne LeCroy’s Summit Z58 PCI Express (PCIe) protocol exerciser/analyzer for testing PCIe 5.0 designs and products provides 32 GT/s traffic generation on devices with link widths up to 8 lanes, with CATC Trace protocol analysis. The Summit Z58 can be used for traffic generation and device/host emulation, as well for development of standardized compliance test suites.

The Summit Z58 builds on the widely used Summit Z416 exerciser to insure interoperability of PCIe 5.0 products, and features a unified single application that incorporates traffic generation and protocol analysis.

Users will have access to analysis and reporting capabilities often used in the PCIe industry. When analyzers and exercisers are used together, developers can create powerful script level traffic and monitor the results of all tests. The Protocol Exerciser uses the new PXP-500A Test platform featuring both CEM and SFF-TA-1002 connectors, to allow wider support of different PCI Express add-in-cards. Teledyne LeCroy