5G? IoT? Fiber Deep? 600G? We Are ready for networking at 2019!
For years we have all been talking about the emergence of 5G services, the Internet of Things (IoT) and the new high-capacity, low-latency network architectures that will be needed to support the resulting onslaught of bandwidth. Higher-speed data rates are critical to electronic evolution and revolution.
Here are some of my collection of newest trends and predictions for year 2018. have picked and mixed here quotations from many articles (linked to source) with some of my own additions to make this posting.
5G: The most newsworthy stories in wireless today are all about 5G. In 2019, we enter a cautious, early-adoption phase of this next generation of wireless technology. 2019 will be the year when we see the first commercial networks turning on and first handsets arriving in the market. Only a small number of users will get a first taste of 5G in specific geographic locations, using specific applications, none of which are ubiquitous or cost-optimized. For more details read my 5G trends for 2019 posting.
Deep fiber: Deep deployment of fiber optics into national network infrastructure might not be as glamorous as the eagerly anticipated launch of fifth-generation mobile networks (5G); however, it is just as important—maybe even more important. Wired broadband access supports as much as 90 percent of all internet traffic even though the majority of traffic ultimately terminates on a wireless device. Wireline and wireless networks are driving new architectures to support the move from 4G LTE to 5G infrastructure. In fact, 5G relies heavily on fiber infrastructure. Service providers in the access market are talking about the evolution of their plants to a Fiber Deep (FD) Architecture. FD architectures move the optical node (the optical-to-electrical conversion point) deeper into the network and closer to the subscriber. This means shorter copper, faster speed, more capacity and reduction in maintenance cost for both cable TV network and telephone line based access networks.
Ethernet: Faster Ethernet speeds are taken to use. These transitions are driven by the increasing global IP traffic. Hyper-scalers and service providers are moving from 100GbE to 400GbE Ethernet rates and beyond. In this speed development 56Gb/s And 112Gb/s SerDes Matter.
TSN: Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) is a set of standards under development by the Time-Sensitive Networking task group of the IEEE 802.1 working group. TSN standards documents that are specified by IEEE 802.1 can be grouped into three basic key component categories that are time synchronization; scheduling and traffic shaping; selection of communication paths, path reservations and fault-tolerance. Industrial Ethernet networks embrace time-sensitive networking (TSN) technology to integrate operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT).
SDN: Software-defined networking (SDN) technology is an approach to cloud computing that facilitates network management and enables programmatically efficient network configuration in order to improve network performance and monitoring. SD-WAN applies similar technology to a wide area network (WAN). SD-WAN allows companies to build higher-performance WANs using lower-cost and commercially available Internet access, enabling businesses to partially or wholly replace more expensive private WAN connection technologies such as MPLS.
IPv6: IPv4 and IPv6 are the two Protocols Run the Internet in 2019. The long-forecasted day the internet runs out of addresses has arrived and it marks a paradigm shift in the internet’s evolution. Though IPv6 has been available globally since 2012, it has seen a slow, if increasing, adoption rate. The migration to IPv6 is inevitable but will take time during that both systems are in use. In many networks a notable amount of traffic is already IPv6.
New Internet protocols: Internet security gets a boost with TLS 1.3. Also HTTP is in process of switching to a protocol layered on top of UDP. Today’s HTTP (versions 1.0, 1.1, and 2) are all layered on top of TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) that is not very optimal in today’s applications as SSL over TCP requires subsequent round trips to establish the encrypted connection.
IoT: The IoT world is here, and the level and rate of convergence is increasing in volume and velocity. We will see the evolution of converged networks for IoT applications in mind. Network convergence (version 2.0) is here with changes and improvements made since the first converged network (Convergence 1.0). TIA TR-42 (Telecommunications Cabling Systems ANSI/TIA-568 family), BICSI (TDMM and others) and proprietary or third documents must adapt and adjust.
PoE: The IEEE 802.3bt standard, approved by the IEEE Standards Association Board on September 27, 2018, included some significant enhancements especially for LED lighting systems. This specification allows for up to 90W of delivered power for cable lengths of up to 100m through the use of all four pairs of wires.
Trade wars: It seem that there is a high tech “trade war” between USA and China. It affects specifically networking business. Big Chinese manufacturers Huawei and ZTE are have received sanctions and their products are not wanted by many countries citing their business practices and potential security nightmares. For example Japan to halt buying Huawei, ZTE equipment and Huawei has been under fire in UK, just to mention examples. It seems that the business that is lost by Huawei and ZTE could benefit Ericsson and Nokia in the 5G base station markets for short term.
Security: The internet is going to hell and its creators want your help fixing it. All agree on one thing however: Right now there is a serious battle for heart and minds, the future of the internet and global society itself. There seems to be need for a conference to address the fact that people increasingly see tech as a threat and no longer as a pure force for good. Government set to revise internal rules on procurement to protect national cybersecurity. Your DNS might be broken, and you don’t even know it. Some DNS old hacks gets thrown out of use by February 1st, 2019.
WiFi: WiFi technology gets new marketing naming. The numerical sequence includes: Wi-Fi 6 to identify devices that support 802.11ax technology, Wi-Fi 5 to identify devices that support 802.11ac technology, Wi-Fi 4 to identify devices that support 802.11n technology.
Faster mobile: Mobile networks are getting faster in many countries. Mobile networks are killing Wi-Fi for speed around the world. Average data speeds on mobile networks now outpace customer’s Wi-Fi connection, on average, in 33 countries. That’s the The State of Wifi vs Mobile Network Experience as 5G Arrives.
Energy efficiency: We need to develop more energy efficient networking technologies. Today, information and communication technologies globally consume 8% of electricity and doubles every year.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
How the telephone failed its big test during 1918’s Spanish flu pandemic
https://www.fastcompany.com/90484820/how-1918s-spanish-flu-outbreak-crushed-the-u-s-telephone-system
Alexander Graham Bell’s invention was supposed to make life under quarantine bearable. But AT&T ended up begging people to stay off the line.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wi-Fi is getting its biggest upgrade in 20 years
6GHz Wi-Fi is coming soon
https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/23/21231623/6ghz-wifi-6e-explained-speed-availability-fcc-approval
Tomi Engdahl says:
The world’s largest Open Database of Cell Towers
Locate devices without GPS, explore Mobile Operator coverage and more!
https://opencellid.org/#zoom=16&lat=37.77363&lon=-122.42036
Tomi Engdahl says:
Duplex connectivity emerges on the path to 400G
https://www.cablinginstall.com/data-center/article/14168915/duplex-connectivity-emerges-on-the-path-to-400g?utm_source=CIM+Weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS200424065&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
The QSFP-DD multi-source agreement recognizes three duplex optical connectors: the CS, SN, and MDC. US Conec’s MDC connector increases density by a factor of three over LC connectors.
Nearly four years ago, a group of 13 vendors formed the QSFP-DD (Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable Double Density) multi-source agreement (MSA) Group, with the goal of creating a double-density QSFP optical transceiver. In the years since its founding, the MSA group has created specifications for QSFPs to support 200- and 400-Gbit/sec Ethernet applications.
The previous-generation technology, QSFP28 modules, support 40- and 100-Gbit Ethernet applications. They feature four electrical lanes that can operate at 10 or 25 Gbits/sec. The QSFP-DD group has established specifications for eight lanes that operate at up to 25 Gbits/sec or 50 Gbits/sec—supporting 200 Gbits/sec and 400 Gbits/sec, respectively, in aggregate.
In July 2019 the QSFP-DD MSA group released version 4.0 of its Common Management Interface Specification (CMIS).
Tomi Engdahl says:
MDC connector
US Conec offers the EliMent brand MDC connector. The company describes EliMent as being “designed for termination of multimode and singlemode fiber cables up to 2.0 mm in diameter. The MDC connector is manufactured with proven 1.25-mm ferrule technology used in industry-standard LC optical connectors, meeting IEC 61735-1 Grade B insertion loss requirements.”
US Conec further explains, “Multiple emerging MSAs have defined port-breakout architectures that require a duplex optical connector with a smaller footprint than the LC connector. The reduced size of the MDC connector will allow a single-array transceiver to accept multiple MDC patch cables, which are individually accessible directly at the transceiver interface.
“The new format will support four individual MDC cables in a QSFP footprint and two individual MDC cables in an SFP footprint. The increased connector density at the module/panel minimizes hardware size, which leads to reduced capital and operational expense. A 1-rack-unit housing can accommodate 144 fibers with LC duplex connectors and adapters. Using the smaller MDC connector increases the fiber count to 432 in the same 1 RU space.”
CS and SN
The CS and SN connectors are products of Senko Advanced Components. In the CS connector, the ferrules sit side-by-side, similar in layout to the LC connector but smaller in size. In the SN connector, the ferrules are stacked top-and-bottom.
“The smaller connector footprint of CS connectors allows two of them to be fitted within a QSFP-DD module, which LC duplex connectors cannot accomplish. This allows for a dual WDM engine design using a 1:4 mux/demux to reach a 2×100-GbE transmission, or 2×200-GbE transmission on a single QSFP-DD transceiver. In addition to QSFP-DD transceivers, the CS connector is also compatible with OSFP [octal small form-factor pluggable] and COBO [Consortium for On Board Optics] modules.”
https://www.cablinginstall.com/data-center/article/14168915/duplex-connectivity-emerges-on-the-path-to-400g?utm_source=CIM+Weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS200424065&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
Tomi Engdahl says:
For those who wish to criticise Huawei & China, 5G is the wrong target!
“At the September 2019 TSAG meeting, Huawei, China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) proposed to initiate a strategic transformation of ITU-T. … At the September 2019 TSAG meeting, Huawei, China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) proposed to initiate a strategic transformation of ITU-T.”
Discussion Paper: An analysis of the “New IP” proposal to the ITU-T
https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/doc/2020/discussion-paper-an-analysis-of-the-new-ip-proposal-to-the-itu-t/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rapid Matchmaking for Terahertz Network Transmitters and Receivers
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/computing/networks/terahertz-linkdiscovery
Scientists may have solved a fundamental problem that would have put a snag in efforts to build wireless terahertz links for networks beyond 5G, a new study finds.
Terahertz waves lie between optical waves and microwaves on the electromagnetic spectrum. Ranging in frequency from 0.1 to 10 terahertz, they could be key to future 6G wireless networks, which will transmit data at terabits (trillions of bits) per second.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/computing/networks/optical-labs-set-terabit-transmission-records
Tomi Engdahl says:
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Nvidia acquires Cumulus Networks, which offers a Linux distribution for networking hardware and had previously raised a total of $134M — Nvidia today announced its plans to acquire Cumulus Networks, an open-source centric company that specializes in helping enterprises optimize their data center networking stack.
Nvidia acquires Cumulus Networks
https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/04/nvidia-acquires-cumulus-networks/
Nvidia today announced its plans to acquire Cumulus Networks, an open-source-centric company that specializes in helping enterprises optimize their data center networking stack. Cumulus offers both its own Linux distribution for network switches, as well as tools for managing network operations. With Cumulus Express, the company also offers a hardware solution in the form of its own data center switch.
Mountain View-based Cumulus already had a previous partnership with Mellanox, which Nvidia acquired for $6.9 billion.
Cumulus, it’s worth noting, was also an early player in the OpenStack ecosystem.
Having both Cumulus and Mellanox in its stable will give Nvidia virtually all the tools it needs to help enterprises and cloud providers build out their high-performance computing and AI workloads in their data centers. While you may mostly think about Nvidia because of its graphics cards, the company has a sizable data center group, which delivered close to $1 billion in revenue in the last quarter, up 43% from a year ago. In comparison, Nvidia’s revenue from gaming was just under $1.5 billion.
“With Cumulus, NVIDIA can innovate and optimize across the entire networking stack from chips and systems to software including analytics like Cumulus NetQ, delivering great performance and value to customers,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Erecting relatively low-cost cell towers that don’t rely on the presence of a stable power grid is Clear Blue Technologies’ approach to closing the global digital divide.
How Off-Grid, Lights-Out Cell Sites Will Aid the Effort to Bring the Next Billion People Online
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/telecom/wireless/500-offgrid-lightsout-cell-sites-will-be-deployed-in-multiple-african-countries-by-the-end-of-the-year
Rural connectivity has always been a headache for service providers expanding their networks. Smaller and more spread out communities, by their nature, require more investment and infrastructure for fewer customers and smaller returns. Lighting up a street of apartment buildings in a major city can bring in dozens if not hundreds of new customers with just one fiber cable, for example, while miles of cable might be needed for each new customer in a sparsely populated area.
This problem is truer for many places in Africa, where a higher percentage of the population is rural. Connecting the people in those regions has been a tough task to date.
In an effort to change that, Clear Blue Technologies, a Canadian company developing off-grid power systems, will be working with South African provider MTN and others to roll out 500 new off-grid, no-maintenance 2G and 3G cell towers in Africa.
“What’s unique about Africa,” says Miriam Tuerk, the CEO of Clear Blue, “is the pent-up demand.” People there have smartphones, but they don’t necessarily have the networks to use them to their full potential.
Tuerk outlines two key challenges faced by any rural network buildout. The first is the cost of the cell towers, specifically the software and hardware. Because rural networks must inherently require a lot of towers to cover a wide area, the cost of licensing or purchasing software or hardware can be staggering. Tuerk suggests that projects like OpenCellular that are developing open source software can help bring down those costs.
More critically, cell towers require power. Traditionally, a cell tower receives power through the grid or, often in cases of emergency, diesel generators. Of course, building out power grid infrastructure is just as expensive as building out wired communications networks.
“If you want to move into rural areas, you really have to have a completely lights-off, off-the-grid solution,” says Tuerk. That means no grid connections and no regular maintenance visits to the cell sites to cut down on installation and maintenance costs. Tuerk says Clear Blue’s power tech makes it possible for a cell site to be installed for about US $10,000, whereas a traditional installation can start at between $30,000 and $50,000 per site.
The initial rollouts have been delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic, but Tuerk is confident that they’ll still meet their goal of installing at least 500 sites by the end of the year.
https://oc.telecominfraproject.com/
Tomi Engdahl says:
How low-Earth orbit satellites will enable connectivity across all domains of warfare
https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2020/05/06/how-low-earth-orbit-satellites-will-enable-jadc2/
The Space Development Agency will provide the unifying element in the Defense Department’s future Joint All-Domain Command and Control concept, pulling together tactical networks developed by the services with a constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites.
With the JADC2 concept, the department envisions an overarching network capable of connecting sensors to shooters regardless of where they are located. That means U.S. Air Force sensors could feed data to U.S. Army shooters, or even National Reconnaissance Office sensors could send information to U.S. Air Force shooters.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wi-Fi 6 Ain’t 6 GHz Wi-Fi: How Should Anyone Know That?
https://www.eetimes.com/wi-fi-6-aint-6-ghz-wi-fi-how-should-anyone-know-that/
Wi-Fi 6 ain’t 6 GHz Wi-Fi
Those 6 GHz Wi-Fi routers could reach the market by the end of this year; market research firm IDC predicts 316 million compatible products will be available in 2021. Meantime, there’s plenty of head-scratching ahead for consumers as they try to sort out what’s what.
The most advanced routers on the market today carry the logo Wi-Fi 6, which a mainstream consumer could logically assume works in the newly unlicensed 6 GHz band. But they don’t, of course: dual-band Wi-Fi 6 routers operate in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Consumers will need a Wi-Fi 6E router to access the 6 GHz band.
The Wi-Fi Alliance wised up a couple of years ago to the fact that the 802.11 designation for Wi-Fi standards doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. The alliance is now hiding the 802.11ax standard behind the friendlier Wi-Fi 6. So that previous generations don’t feel left out, the alliance has redubbed 802.11n as Wi-Fi 4 and 802.11ac as Wi-Fi 5.
That alphabet soup is just the Wi-Fi recast. This year is when 5G smartphones are expected to take off as 5G networks expand and phone prices come down (though the economy may have something to say about that). Some in the industry are pitting Wi-Fi 6 against 5G, though others see them as complementary. Pity the poor consumer raised on speeds and feeds assuming Wi-Fi 6 is better than 5G because it’s a higher number.
Consumers will see debates over whether 5G will replace Wi-Fi. “Unfortunately, the answer is not quite so simple,” says the AT&T Business website: “While 5G and Wi-Fi 6 share certain key technologies, each is better suited to a particular use case.”
Over at T-Mobile, which just bought Sprint, they see it differently: “Though currently on wired broadband, we’re planning for a 5G future where wireless broadband will replace home Internet. That means millions across America will finally free themselves from expensive, unreliable cable companies once and for all.”
Meanwhile, the tech world — and consumers’ heads — will keep on spinning.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cabling Designs You Can Trust to Support Speeds of 32G to 400G
https://www.cablinginstall.com/white-papers/whitepaper/14038917/cablexpress-cabling-designs-you-can-trust-to-support-speeds-of-32g-to-400g?utm_source=CIM+Weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS200508040&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
Data speeds continue to increase. The collective appetite for bandwidth is seemingly insatiable, and networks are rarely seen as “fast enough.” Many entities are awaiting the next big jumps in speed: 400 Gb/s Ethernet and 128 Gb/s Fibre Channel. Supporting these speeds requires critical fiber cabling considerations.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IP67-rated Ethernet, USB cables feature Glenair Mighty Mouse connectors
https://www.cablinginstall.com/cable/article/14175568/ip67rated-ethernet-usb-cables-feature-glenair-mighty-mouse-connectors?utm_source=CIM+Weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS200508040&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
MilesTek, an Infinite Electronics brand and a manufacturer and supplier of products designed to address military and avionics applications, announced that it is now stocking a series of Ethernet and USB cable assemblies featuring Glenair’s 801 Series Mighty Mouse connectors. The assemblies are billed as “rugged, tactical and built to Category 5e, Category 6 or USB 2.0 standards.”
MilesTek’s Mighty Mouse cables are available with either a male or female Mighty Mouse connector on one end, and a standard USB type-A or RJ45 connector on the other end. The Mighty Mouse connectors offer IP67 protection, even when unmated, and provide exceptional grounding and lock-down characteristics compared to standard connectors.
Cat 7 Ethernet cables target 10Gb/s military, marine applications
https://www.cablinginstall.com/cable/article/14069526/cat-7-ethernet-cables-target-10gbs-military-marine-applications
TE Connectivity positions its versatile, rugged Raychem Cat 7 Ethernet cables for 10Gb/s military, marine and defense applications.
MilesTek’s Mighty Mouse cables are available with either a male or female Mighty Mouse connector on one end, and a standard USB type-A or RJ45 connector on the other end.
Tomi Engdahl says:
400G-ZR/400G-ZR+ Next Generation Datacenter Technology
https://www.electronicdesign.com/resources/webcasts/webinar/21128137/an-april-22nd-electronic-designhosted-live-webinar-sponsored-by-tektronix?partnerref=May_SundayNL&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=31728&utm_medium=email&elq2=03f34974d33843f5ae479fc9e9a2790f&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
Coherent technologies are finally reaching a tipping point. For many years observers have predicted that coherent modulation will take share in data center interconnects. Attend our webinar to learn about the changes in the coherent market and the resulting importance of coherent links. After an overview, we will dive into the signal analysis of coherent links.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DARPA Is About to Launch a Military Version of SpaceX’s Starlink
https://futurism.com/the-byte/darpa-launch-military-version-starlink?fbclid=IwAR14Qx6KrTiBOSgT6U-a6Avl3SjRANy_B-iY8Yd3O1Uh_yfpJjuQk8bcQOg
DARPA, the research wing of the U.S. Military, is preparing to launch an orbital mesh network similar to SpaceX’s Starlink.
Tomi Engdahl says:
“Consume locally” is a term we hear often nowadays. Well, with edge computing, what you are essentially getting is a corner store: instead of going the distance to pick up groceries and services, you’ll find them right in your neighborhood
Within the respective distributed access architecture (DAA) push, cable operators are transforming headends and hub sites into mini data centers or, in other words, headends re-architected as data centers (HERDs).
Tomi Engdahl says:
COVID-19 blamed for 238% surge in cyberattacks against banks
https://www.zdnet.com/article/covid-19-blamed-for-238-surge-in-cyberattacks-against-banks/
The coronavirus pandemic has been connected to a 238% surge in
cyberattacks against banks, new research claims. On Thursday, VMware
Carbon Black released the third edition of the Modern Bank Heists
report, which says that financial organizations experienced a massive
uptick in cyberattack attempts between February and April this year –
the same months in which COVID-19 began to spread rapidly across the
globe.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Huawei denies involvement in buggy Linux kernel patch proposal
https://www.zdnet.com/article/huawei-denies-involvement-in-buggy-linux-kernel-patch-proposal/
Huawei denied on Monday having any official involvement in an insecure
patch submitted to the Linux kernel project over the weekend; patch
that introduced a “trivially exploitable” vulnerability. The buggy
patch was submitted to the official Linux kernel project via its
mailing list on Sunday. Named HKSP (Huawei Kernel Self Protection),
the patch allegedly introduced a series of security-hardening options
to the Linux kernel.
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘New IP’ is an actual Huawei threat to networks
https://www.lightreading.com/asia/new-ip-is-an-actual-huawei-threat-to-networks/d/d-id/758605
Any time would be a bad time for the US to put even more curbs on Huawei’s supply of chips.
As even supporters of the US blockade of Huawei have acknowledged, the bigger problem is that Washington doesn’t offer an alternative to the Chinese vendor.
The best way to do that is to be able to aid Western vendors to compete in the market – not sabotage Huawei so it can’t serve its customers that have chosen to buy its kit.
While the Huawei blacklisting seems to be taking its toll
The biggest factor is likely its insistence for many years that Huawei has been an enabler of China’s worldwide hacking and cyber espionage spree. That Chinese hackers have had no trouble in breaking into the Pentagon, NSA orOPM without Huawei’s assistance seems to have gone unnoticed.
In the last couple of years this trope has largely been replaced by the 5G threat and the notion that Huawei might some time in future 5G networks do what it has never done in 3G or 4G. While sympathetic, key allies in Europe and Asia still have not been persuaded.
However, thanks to some recent FT.com reporting, we learn of an actual Huawei threat to networks.
Huawei is the author of the Chinese government’s scheme for a new, authoritarian-friendly Internet architecture, dubbed “New IP.” It is in the early stage of trying to push this through the ITU standards groups.
We have few specifics, but it seems that in this new framework telcos would have the ability to monitor and manage every device connected to the network.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://securityboulevard.com/2020/04/china-wants-to-control-all-the-internet-with-new-ip-plan/amp/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Facebook Open Switching System (“FBOSS”) and Wedge in the open
https://engineering.fb.com/data-center-engineering/facebook-open-switching-system-fboss-and-wedge-in-the-open/
Today, we are happy to announce the initial release of our Facebook open switching system (code-named “FBOSS”) project on GitHub and our proposed contribution of the specification for our top-of-rack switch (code-named “Wedge”) to the OCP networking project.
The initial FBOSS release consists primarily of the FBOSS agent, a daemon that programs and controls the ASIC. This process runs on each switch and manages the hardware forwarding ASIC. It receives information via configuration files and thrift APIs and then programs the correct forwarding and routing entries into the chip. It also processes packets from the ASIC that are destined to the switch itself, such as control plane protocol traffic, and other packets that cannot be processed solely in hardware.
Our Wedge top-of-rack switch follows this basic design and uses a single Broadcom Trident II ASIC for high-speed forwarding.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Clouds Lift on Microsoft’s Telecom Ambitions
https://www.eetimes.com/clouds-lift-on-microsofts-telecom-ambitions/
Microsoft has further strengthened its position in the telecom services sector with the acquisition, for an undisclosed sum, of Metaswitch Networks.
The move follows its purchase of cloud-based mobile core solutions specialist Affirmed Networks late March. The two companies certainly bring a wealth of telecoms expertise and know-how, not to mention a big customer base.
Undercutting operators and infrastructure suppliers?
Both acquisitions, in the era of network virtualization, reveal Microsoft’s telecom ambitions. The moves can be viewed as Microsoft finally taking its gloves off, poised to undercut operators and traditional telecommunication equipment vendors such as Ericsson and Nokia.
Announcing the strategic move late last week in a blog on Microsoft’s site, Yousef Khalidi , corporate vice president of the increasingly influential Azure Networks division also expanded on the company’s ambitions in the sector.
Our intention over time is to create modern alternatives to network infrastructure, enabling operators to deliver existing and value-added services — with greater cost efficiency and lower capital investment than they have faced in the past.
How clear is that!
So, mobile network operators and their infrastructure suppliers — don’t say you have not been warned.
Khalidi continued:
We have a long history of working with operators as they increasingly embrace software-based solutions and continue to support the advancement of cloud-based networking while helping create new partnership opportunities for existing network equipment providers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How IoT is reshaping network design
https://www.commscope.com/blog/2020/how-iot-is-reshaping-network-design/?utm_source=CIM+Weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS200515030&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R#cid-14175882
Back in 2014, a Gartner report said that the Internet of Things (IoT) will pose seven challenges in the data center: sheer volume of data, server technologies, data security, the data center network, consumer privacy, need for higher availability and increased data processing requirements.
Now, the impacts of IoT are coming into sharper focus,in the data center and across the network. Some of Gartner’s predictions hold true, but we have a better idea as to how they might play out.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Microsoft haastaa Nokian runkoverkoissa
https://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10789&via=n&datum=2020-05-20_15:30:06&mottagare=31202
Microsoft ilmoitti eilen ostaneensa verkkojen virtualisointiin erikoistuneen Metaswitch Networksin. Kun kauppa yhdistetään maaliskuiseen Affirmed Networks -ostokseen, Microsoftin suunnitelmat käyvät ilmiselviksi.
Windows-talo haluaa laajentaa tietoliikenneverkkojen virtualisoituihin runko- eli core-osiin. Näin yhtiö esittää selvän haasteen Nokialle ja Ericssonille. Toki myös Huaweille, vaikka kiinalaisyritystä onkin lännessä yritetty eristää core-verkkojen ulkopuolelle.
Microsoftilla on tässä kisassa yksi ilmeinen etu, joka sekä Nokialta että Ericssonilta puuttuu: oma pilvipalveluinfra. Azuren avulla Microsoft voi tarjota operaattoreille kustannustehokkaasti virtualisoituja palveluita, joita operaattorit voivat asiakkailleen tarjota.
Core-verkot perustuvat käytännössä aivan standardiin x86-laitteistoon. Myös Nokia tekee Intelin kanssa yhteistyötä core-tuotteidensa osalta. Yksinkertaistettuna core on nopea pilvipalvelu, jonka päälle operaattorin täytyy rakentaa verkon radio-osa. Se tehdään Nokian, Ericssonin tai Huawein tukiasemilla.
Metaswitch on perustettu lähes 30 vuotta sitten ja yhtiön asiakkaisiin kuuluu operaattoreita ennen kaikkea Pohjois-Amerikassa. Yhtiön tiedotteiden listalta löytyy puolen vuoden takaa julkistus, jossa se on toteuttanut privaatin LTE-verkon core-osan Microsoftin Azuressa. Kaupan jälkeen tiedote käy selkeämmin ymmärrettäväksi.
Tomi Engdahl says:
white paper “A multi-layer approach for Operational Telecom”
https://www.otnsystems.com/multi-layer-approach-for-ot?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic_whitepaper_milti-layer-approach&utm_term=linkpost
Tomi Engdahl says:
Eliminate Thousands of Hours in Access Network Deployments
https://www.infinera.com/innovation/auto-lambda?ss=access-and-aggregation&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiT1dReE56a3pOalF4WldVNCIsInQiOiJwSlhMTlhITHcwbDRpV0xnY2RnblwvUEw4RDVoQ21lVGJyUmhCWFNxQ2pBV05kSFBXbTNWZjVkQVpuQ2VtUDFWS1hkbHRRTlhwc3drMEo1OTZHdFd5Tzh5SWtETlwvZmx0ekhSOWNmT2phNHpoVVhYbkk1cGNFT2V5QWRcL1FhdlwvRGZUWHdnU1JjdnB6NnFkQlA0Q0crMkp3PT0ifQ%3D%3D
Infinera’s Auto-Lambda feature provides a game-changing solution in deploying access and aggregation networks. It enables network operators to simply plug DWDM optics into aggregation and access nodes, and the system automatically tunes each of the optical signals to the appropriate wavelength. The result is a dramatic reduction in the number of truck rolls and the amount of effort required to deploy high-capacity access and aggregation networks, and a simultaneous reduction in deployment and configuration errors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-2V7uKbcC8&feature=emb_logo
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/24/rd-roundup-twisted-light-lasers-prosthetic-vision-advances-and-robot-trained-dogs/
Twisted laser-starters
We think of lasers as going “straight” because that’s simpler than understanding their nature as groups of like-minded photons. But there are more exotic qualities for lasers beyond wavelengths and intensity, ones scientists have been trying to exploit for years. One such quality is… well, there are a couple names for it: Chirality, vorticality, spirality and so on — the quality of a beam having a corkscrew motion to it. Applying this quality effectively could improve optical data throughput speeds by an order of magnitude.
very difficult to control and detect. Researchers have been making progress on this for a couple of years, but the last couple weeks brought some new advances.
First, from the University of the Witwatersrand, is a laser emitter that can produce twisted light of record purity and angular momentum — a measure of just how twisted it is. It’s also compact and uses metamaterials — always a plus.
Tomi Engdahl says:
WORLD’S FASTEST INTERNET SPEED SEES DOWNLOAD SPEEDS 1 MILLION TIMES FASTER THAN CURRENT BROADBAND
A rate of 44 terabits per second is fast enough to download 1,000 HD films in a single second
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/internet-speed-world-record-fastest-download-a9527236.html
Researchers in Australia have achieved a world record internet speed of 44.2 terabits per second, allowing users to download 1,000 HD movies in a single second.
A team from Monash, Swinburne and RMIT universities used a “micro-comb” optical chip containing hundreds of infrared lasers to transfer data across existing communications infrastructure in Melbourne.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hmm, what port did I plug AP-6 into again?
Extremely awesome. FYI, this is real app. The AR mode works with newer UniFi switches
https://twitter.com/cabel/status/1266428485804847104
https://www.facebook.com/126000117413375/posts/3515211645158855/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Vortex lasers harness a special property of light to encode and transmit more data than today’s systems will allow.
Vortex Lasers May Be a Boon for Data
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/semiconductors/optoelectronics/vortex-laser
Vortex lasers could help photons carry more data, a new study finds.
Modern optical telecommunications encode data in multiple aspects of light, such as its brightness and color. In order to store even more data in light, scientists are exploring other properties of light that have proven more difficult to control.
One promising feature of light under investigation has to do with momentum. Light has momentum, just like a physical item moving through space, even though it does not have mass. As such, when light shines on an object, it exerts a force. Whereas the linear momentum of light exerts a push in the direction that light is moving, angular momentum of light exerts torque.
A beam of light can possess two kinds of angular momentum. The spin angular momentum of a ray of light can make objects it shines on rotate in place, whereas its orbital angular momentum can make objects rotate around the center of the ray. A beam of light that carries orbital angular momentum resembles a vortex, moving through space with a spiraling pattern like a corkscrew.
A potentially extraordinarily useful property of vortex beams is that they do not interfere with each other if they all possess different twisting patterns. This means a theoretically infinite number of vortex beams can get overlaid on top of each other to carry an unlimited number of data streams at the same time.
However, until now, all microchip-scale vortex lasers firing at telecommunications wavelengths were each limited to transmitting a single orbital angular momentum pattern. At the same time, existing detectors for vortex beams relied on complex filtering techniques using bulky components
Instead of emitting a single orbital angular momentum mode, they showed it could emit five distinct modes.
The scientists also developed a light detector based on tungsten ditelluride, which can act like a so-called Weyl semimetal, a material with properties lying between a conductive metal and a pure semiconductor. Their experiments found that different orbital angular momentum modes of light each generated unique patterns of electrical current within the photodetector, and they suggest this electronic method of detecting the orbital angular momentum of light could be scaled to work on microchips.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Qualcomm launched Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6, networking platforms that work in three frequency bands simultaneously — 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz. The Networking Pro Series Platforms supports 2,000 simultaneous users and up to a 16-Stream Wi-Fi 6E configuration, depending on which of the four configurations is used.
https://www.qualcomm.com/news/releases/2020/05/28/qualcomm-answers-surging-connectivity-demand-comprehensive-new-portfolio-wi
Tomi Engdahl says:
“Consume locally” is a term we hear often nowadays. Well, with edge computing, what you are essentially getting is a corner store: instead of going the distance to pick up groceries and services, you’ll find them right in your neighborhood.
Pushing content and services to the edge is currently being investigated or deployed to improve customer experience, reduce the load on the network and process applications locally.
Within the respective distributed access architecture (DAA) push, cable operators are transforming headends and hub sites into mini data centers or, in other words, headends re-architected as data centers (HERDs).
https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/2346494/34198121409D4A142FF16171E3AD9185?partnerref=ema&utm_source=BTR+Webcasts&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS200601015&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/10832-wifin-toinen-vallankumous-alkaa
Tomi Engdahl says:
BSRIA forecasts when Cat 6A will outsell Cat 6
https://www.cablinginstall.com/cable/article/14176900/bsria-forecasts-when-cat-6a-will-outsell-cat-6
In a report detailing modest market growth in the recent past and projected future, BSRIA also discussed sales values of twisted-pair copper cable.
In a report detailing the global market for structured cabling products, BSRIA forecasts modest growth over the next several years, and projects that in 2024, global sales of Category 6A cabling will surpass sales of Category 6.
“Sales of Category 6A increased almost 7% globally in 2019 and now accounts for 33% of all cabling systems by value,” BSRIA said. “Sales of Cat 6A are estimated to progress dynamically up to 2024.” The most recent forecast from BSRIA forecasts through 2024. “Sales of Cat 5e continue to decline, but still account for 14% in 2019, sold mostly in the USA, China and Japan. Cat 6, which currently dominates the market, is expected to decline slightly in the future.”
The organization further estimated that sales of Category 7, 7A, and 8 will experience high growth rates, but from a small base. “The share for the three categories combined is expected to grow from 1.7% in 2019 to 3.7% in 2024. Sales of Cat 8 are not anticipated to take off.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Industrial Ethernet Adapts to the Times
Sponsored by Texas Instruments: A smaller, less-expensive, faster, and lower-power Industrial Ethernet PHY widens the technology’s reach.
https://www.electronicdesign.com/industrial-automation/article/21132326/industrial-ethernet-adapts-to-the-times
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wi-Fi 6 Solutions Target Low Power, Open Up Mass Market Adoption
https://www.eetimes.com/wi-fi-6-solutions-target-low-power-open-up-mass-market-adoption/
The new Wi-Fi 6 standard, better known to engineers as IEEE 802.11.ax, is rapidly becoming a major driver for the wireless local area network (WLAN) market. According to the market research analysts at International Data Corp. (IDC), Wi-Fi 6 supported dependent access points (APs) made up 11.8% of unit shipments but 21.8% of revenues in the first quarter of 2020. The previous generation standard, 802.11ac, still made up the majority of shipments (80.9%) and revenues (76.2%).
Reflecting this, a number of embedded Wi-Fi 6 related solutions have been announced recently. The latest is from Imagination Technologies, which announced its latest intellectual property (IP) delivering integrated RF and baseband for low power and battery-powered applications, as required for the internet of things (IoT), wearables and hearables. NXP Semiconductors also recently announced an expanded Wi-Fi 6 portfolio to enable wider market adoption over the existing solutions which primarily target premium products.
Tomi Engdahl says:
VMware haluaa virtualisoida verkot – Eroon siiloista!
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/10849-vmware-haluaa-virtualisoida-verkot-eroon-siiloista
VMware julkisti tänään tutkimuksen, jonka mukaan it-päättäjät moittivat huonoa näkyvyyttä verkon tietoturvaan. Suomen VMwaren johtava asiantuntija Santeri Stoltin mukaan ainoa keino ratkaista ongelma on tehdä verkoista virtuaalisia. – Meidän pitää päästä eroon siiloista, Stolt terottaa.
Stolt muistuttaa, että itse verkko on vain yksi osa tietoturvahaastetta. Pitää huolehtia myös koodin, laitteiden ja työkuormien tietoturvasta. Tällä hetkellä ongelmia lähestytään erillisten siilojen kautta. – Yksi porukka miettii pilvi- tai konesalin työkuormien ja ehkä päätelaitteiden tietoturvaa yksien työkalujen avulla, toinen porukka miettii julkipilven tietoturvaa, ja he joutuvat käyttämään niitä työkaluja, joita siihen siiloon on tehty, Stolt kuvaa.
Kolme neljästä it-päättäjästä ei näe verkkoaan kunnolla
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/10848-kolme-neljasta-it-paattajasta-ei-nae-verkkoaan-kunnolla
VMwaren tutkimusyhtiö Forresterilla teettämä laaja kyselytutkimus kertoo, että it-päättäjät Suomessa ja maailmalla pitävät suurena huolenaiheena puutteellista näkyvyyttä omiin tietoverkkoihinsa. Suomessa 75 prosenttia vastaajista pitää kattavan näkyvyyden aikaansaamista hyvin vaikeana tai äärimmäisen vaikeana.
- Yritykset ja niiden käyttämät sovellukset ovat riippuvaisia verkkojen turvallisuudesta, kun sovellusten data liikkuu päätelaitteiden, datakeskuksen ja pilven välillä. Siksi verkkoon pitäisi suhtautua strategisena välineenä, eikä pelkkänä datan putkistona. Tietoturvan kannalta näkyvyys omiin verkkoihin on välttämätöntä, sanoo Suomen VMwaren johtava asiantuntija Santeri Stolt.
Hänen mukaansa näkyvyyden vaatimuksen voi täyttää vain, jos verkko toimitetaan ohjelmistopohjaisesti tuotettuna eli virtualisoituna.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wi-Fi 6 Solutions Target Low Power, Open Up Mass Market Adoption
https://www.eetimes.com/wi-fi-6-solutions-target-low-power-open-up-mass-market-adoption/
The new Wi-Fi 6 standard, better known to engineers as IEEE 802.11.ax, is rapidly becoming a major driver for the wireless local area network (WLAN) market. According to the market research analysts at International Data Corp. (IDC), Wi-Fi 6 supported dependent access points (APs) made up 11.8% of unit shipments but 21.8% of revenues in the first quarter of 2020. The previous generation standard, 802.11ac, still made up the majority of shipments (80.9%) and revenues (76.2%).
Reflecting this, a number of embedded Wi-Fi 6 related solutions have been announced recently. The latest is from Imagination Technologies, which announced its latest intellectual property (IP) delivering integrated RF and baseband for low power and battery-powered applications, as required for the internet of things (IoT), wearables and hearables.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/06/cox-slows-internet-speeds-in-entire-neighborhoods-to-punish-any-heavy-users/
Tomi Engdahl says:
SpaceX Is Now Taking Requests for Starlink Beta Testers
Here’s where you can sign up.
https://futurism.com/spacex-taking-requests-starlink-beta-testers
With over 500 Starlink broadband-beaming satellites already in orbit, SpaceX is looking to move ahead with rolling out its internet service. The Elon Musk-led company is now seeking beta users to test it out, ZDNet reports.
The service’s website now invites users to apply to become early adopters of the service. “Get updates on Starlink news and service availability in your area,” it reads.
Once signed up, users get an email: “Starlink is designed to deliver high-speed broadband internet to locations where access has been unreliable, expensive, or completely unavailable. Private beta testing is expected to begin later this summer, followed by public beta testing, starting with higher latitudes.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/06/15/high-speed-the-way-we-want-it/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://satellitemap.space/indexA.html
[Realtime Starlink Satellite Map](https://satellitemap.space/indexA.html)
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.inverse.com/innovation/spacex-starship-stunning-image-shows-how-it-may-deploy-240-starlink-craft
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.pcgamer.com/i-built-my-own-super-router-out-of-old-pc-parts-and-ive-never-felt-so-powerful/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/spacex-starlink-beta-users-public-how-to-wifi-register-a9570596.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://semiengineering.com/week-in-review-design-low-power-99/
Rambus debuted 112G XSR/USR PHY IP on TSMC’s N7 7nm process. The PHY IP enables die-to-die and die-to-optical engine connectivity for chiplets and co-packaged optics targeting data center, networking, 5G, HPC, and AI/ML applications. It has been demonstrated in silicon to exceed the reach/BER performance of the CEI-112G XSR specification and supports NRZ and PAM-4 signaling at various data rates.
Rambus Delivers 112G XSR/USR PHY on TSMC 7nm Process for Chiplets and Co-Packaged Optics in Networking and Data Center
https://www.rambus.com/112g-xsr-usr-phy-on-tsmc-7nm-process-for-chiplets-and-co-packaged-optics-in-networking-and-data-center/
Expands comprehensive portfolio of cutting-edge IP designed on TSMC’s industry-leading 7nm (N7) process
Enables the most power- and cost-efficient solution for die-to-die (D2D) and die-to-optical engine (D2OE) connectivity over Extra Short Reach (XSR) and Ultra Short Reach (USR) channels
Accelerates next-generation data center, networking, 5G, high-performance computing (HPC), and artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) applications with a critical building block enabling chiplet and co-packaged optics (CPO) architectures
Tomi Engdahl says:
Five key ways an industrial Ethernet protocol can use TSN
https://www.controleng.com/articles/five-key-ways-an-industrial-ethernet-protocol-can-use-tsn/?oly_enc_id=0462E3054934E2U
Time-sensitive networking (TSN) is a practical option to meet the needs of time-critical applications, create flexibility in network design and plan for the future brought about by Industry 4.0 and IIoT. See five benefits of its use in industrial Ethernet networks.
Time-sensitive networking (TSN) in the industrial space will be made up of a subset of IEEE 802.1 standards, known as the IEC/IEEE 60802 TSN Profile for Industrial Automation, which are in the later stages of being selected and approved. The significant amounts of diagnostic and prognostic data, on top of existing control traffic, that will be added by information technology/operations technology (IT/OT) convergence, is a key driver of the set of the standards for transmission of time-sensitive data over industrial Ethernet networks known as TSN.
TSN will be a practical option to meet the needs of time critical applications, create flexibility in network design and plan for the future brought about by Industry 4.0 and IIoT. Furthermore, TSN will enable greater industrial communication interoperability and can work with existing IEEE 1588 time–synchronization methods such as ODVA’s CIP Motion and CIP Sync. ODVA recognizes the importance of TSN and is engaged in work through its member companies to adapt EtherNet/IP for TSN.
TSN prioritization of data, to ensure motion data isn’t slowed down by routine diagnostics as an example, can take place within Ethernet bridges in different ways based on user commissioning. The IEEE 802.1Qbv Queuing Structure graphic below shows an example of TSN prioritization using some of the following key prioritization mechanisms
TSN opens up the possibility for industrial networks to have new technologies on the factory floor, such as cameras that feed image recognition algorithms for quality control, alongside traditional motors, valves, and sensors, and even existing motion control applications using variable frequency drives and ODVA’s CIP Motion.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Windstream, Infinera transmit 800G over 730 km of SMF-28 fiber in live network trial
https://www.cablinginstall.com/data-center/article/14178024/windstream-infinera-transmit-800g-over-730-km-of-smf28-fiber-in-live-network-trial?utm_source=CIM+Weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS200618044&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
Live network trial was performed using Infinera’s fifth-generation coherent optical technology, ICE6 (Infinite Capacity Engine), equipped in its Groove (GX) Series platform, over industry-standard G.652-compliant SMF-28 fiber.
Infinera and Windstream today announced the completion of a live network trial that successfully achieved 800 gigabits per second (800G) single-wavelength transmission over 730 kilometers (km) across Windstream’s long-haul network between San Diego and Phoenix.
In addition to achieving real-world network performance at 800G, Windstream and Infinera note the companies set another industry record by looping back the signal to achieve a 700G transmission over 1,460 km.
The companies contend the results of the trial mark a milestone in optical networking by demonstrating that ultra-high-speed optical transmissions, such as 700G and 800G, powered by Infinera’s ICE6 optical engine and Windstream’s high-performance fiber network, can be deployed in real-world network applications over significant distances. This will enable emerging 400 Gigabit Ethernet (400 GbE) services to be supported over longer distances within the Windstream national network.
Tomi Engdahl says:
What’s After PAM-4?
Second of two parts: Parallel vs. serial options
https://semiengineering.com/whats-after-pam-4/
The future of high-speed physical signaling is uncertain. While PAM-4 remains one of the key standards today, there is widespread debate about whether PAM-8 will succeed it.
This has an impact on everything from where the next bottlenecks are likely to emerge and the best approaches to solving them, to how chips, systems and packages are designed.
“PAM-8 is not right now being that actively considered,” said Saman Sadr, vice president of product marketing for IP cores at Rambus. “The amplitude that we can reliably transmit is about 1V peak-to-peak.”
Go too far above that and you risk gate-oxide breakdown – unless you use a thick-oxide transistor, which will be slower. Go too much smaller and you risk losing the signal-to-noise on longer runs.
New standards can draw more power as long as the performance increase is high enough. “The typical trend is to double bandwidth with 30% to 50% more power,” Sadr said. If it takes too much more power, then it’s no longer worth doing.
He’s not alone. “A couple of IEEE standards use PAM-12 and PAM-16, but at lower speeds with lots of lanes,” said Brig Asay, director of strategic planning at Keysight Technologies. For example, 10GBASE-T uses PAM-16 with four lanes transmitting 800 million symbols per second each. This represents a modest clock rate as compared with the 200+ GHz clocks at the leading edge.
For those who don’t see PAM-8 in the future, then what’s next for serial connections? “The smallest differentiable voltage at the receiver can be microvolts,” Sadr said. He provided the following analysis of signal attenuation down various line lengths:
Signals that go through a backplane or other connectors are referred to as long-reach (LR), and across that channel, the signal loses in the range of 35 to 36 dB. The signal drops to roughly 1% of its transmitted value when it arrives at the receiver at 112 GHz. Power efficiency is 5 pJ/bit.
Very-short-reach (VSR) signals, which go from chip to chip or to another module on a board, lose 18 dB, leaving roughly 10% of the original signal at an efficiency of 2.5 pJ/bit.
Extra-short-reach (XSR) and ultra-short-reach (USR) signals go from chip to chip within a package, and they lose 5 – 10 dB at a cost of 1 pJ/bit or less.
Packaging plays a role in this decision. “If outside the package, you’d use serial,” said Manuel Mota, product marketing manager for high-speed SerDes PHY, analog, and Bluetooth IP at Synopsys. “If inside the package, then it depends on the packaging.”
Wendy Wu, director of marketing in the IP Group at Cadence, agreed. “A copper backplane with 200GHz will be very power-hungry. It could burn more power just to double the PAM-4 rate. With multi-chip assembly, the reach will be much shorter (XSR). PAM-8 might make sense.”
The power it takes to receive a clean PAM-x signal appears to be the key concern here. “It takes lots of power to clean up PAM-4,”
So, if PAM-8 isn’t next, then what is? One option Sadr sees is a hybrid parallel/serial arrangement, with multiple serial lines in parallel. This kind of arrangement is already in use and is an obvious way to scale bandwidth as long as new skew issues aren’t introduced.
Another option is to go the route that wireless has gone. While wired connections have relied solely on amplitude for coding, wireless signals also use phase as a variable, giving rise to “quadrature amplitude modulation,” or QAM. This could be deployed as well on wired signals.
QAM removes the need for a clean eye diagram. It’s implemented by taking multiple bitstreams and applying PAM on each one. Each stream is then phase-shifted to a position unique to that stream, and the multiple streams are then mixed onto the wire for transmission. Because of orthogonality, those streams can be separated off the line at the receiver.
“For 1.6 Tbps, PAM-8 and -12 are being looked at heavily. Even PAM-16, but with a QAM signal. They’re concerned that they can’t do clean eyes on PAM-8,” said Asay. “A couple of big inflection points are coming, for both serial and parallel. It could be a move to QAM.”
Once electrical options have been exhausted, the next move would be to optical. Sadr sees this as what will succeed PAM-4 on backplanes. The question will be whether optical ends up being lower power and/or lower cost than the alternatives.
Said Sadr, “Our industry is striving to reduce power, enabling more sophisticated modulation schemes — which historically was the solution to service longer reach. However, this no longer seems to be adequate — as it requires both power increase and higher cost of materials. The viable solution for the next gen (e.g., 224 Gbps), trends towards delivering this signal in NRZ or PAM-4 (differentially) to the optical engine and taking it from there in the optical domain. As the market adopts these solutions, the material cost of the optical and electrical integration will moderate. Early adopters may tolerate the higher costs given the performance benefits, but power will ultimately be king.”
Parallel connections
Modern parallel connections can involve thousands of signals. This works because technologies like silicon interposers, used for interconnecting dice or chiplets within a package, allow much finer line pitches than package wires or standard PCBs do. Meanwhile, signal pads on chips have changed from large pads that accept looped wire connections to bumps to micro-bumps to micro-pillars, all facilitating higher connection density.
With this many signals, board or interposer yield can be an issue, so redundancy is employed. In his article, “Parallel-Based PHY IP for Die-to-Die Connectivity,” Mota wrote, “To maximize yield, the parallel die-to-die PHY includes redundant lanes distributed per channel, lane testing capabilities, and circuitry to re-route signals from lanes that are identified as defective to the redundant lanes.”
The major challenge faced by parallel buses is skew. Longer signals are more prone to higher skew because there is more opportunity for different lines to differ in length.