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UNH-IOL has combined its expertise in cable assembly and backplane compliance testing with Rohde & Schwarz test solutions, and the two companies are now collaborating to deliver compliance with the latest IEEE 802.3 Ethernet and InfiniBand standards paves the way for automated conformance testing solutions.

Test and measurement specialists Rohde & Schwarz and the University of New Hampshire Interoperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) have extended their existing collaboration to renew Ethernet and InfiniBand compliance testing. Accurate, fast and error-free compliance testing of high-speed cables and backplanes compliant with IEEE 802.3 (including the latest IEEE 802.3ck standard) and InfiniBand standards (including highest rate HDR) in combination with Rohde & Schwarz vector network analyzer equipment , the two companies have pooled their respective expertise and provided specific implementation methods.

Current data rates and data traffic ratios are growing faster than ever. High-speed data needs to be transferred between computer modules or high-speed data networks. The latest specification for Ethernet, IEEE 802.3ck, scheduled for release in the fall of 2021, will allow data rate transfers of up to 800 Gbps. InfiniBand is a communication standard used to address extremely low latency and extremely high throughput, and it is planned to expand the standard in 2021, when the data throughput rate of multiple link combinations will be as high as 1200GB/s. Long-haul transmissions in both standards are over optical links, but for short-haul data bridging, high-speed copper cables are often required. To ensure reliable data transmission at extremely high data rates, cable compliance testing is highly recommended to increase confidence in the product.

UNH-IOL is a global reference laboratory for cable conformance testing certification, and many cable manufacturers seek testing services from the Interoperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL). Sometime in 2020, Rohde & Schwarz provided UNH-IOL with the state-of-the-art R&S ZNBT40 multiport vector network analyzer. The analyzer has 16 integrated test ports covering the measurement frequency band up to 40 GHz for efficient test capability.

Based on UNH-IOL’s excellent experience, it has created a Method of Implementation (MOI) for compliance testing for IEEE 802.3 Ethernet and InfiniBand. This MOI describes exactly how to perform compliance testing on high-speed cables and backplanes to meet the corresponding product specifications.

Martin Stumpf, Marketing Manager High-Speed ​​Digital Design Test at Rohde & Schwarz, said: “The MOI and accompanying documentation provide the industry with excellent test guidance, which describes specific test procedures as well as Channel Operating Margin (COM) and A method for calculating the effective return loss (ERL). Later this year, we plan to provide automated scripts based on the R&S ZNrun test software, which will further simplify compliance testing. We are delighted to be working with UNH-IOL to make this possible.”

Bob Noseworthy, Principal Engineer at UNH-IOL, said: “Following the successful development of the MOI with Rohde & Schwarz, we look forward to working with them further to jointly expand the UNH-IOL high-speed cable compliance testing capabilities in the near future.”

To access this Method of Implementation (MOI) document, please download it from the following link:

IEEE Interface Channel Test:https://www.rohde-schwarz.com.cn/applications/-100-gbps-ieee-moi-application-note_56280-1056971.html

IBTA Serial Interface Cable Test:https://www.rohde-schwarz.com.cn/applications/-ibta-25-gbps-moi-application-note_56280-1057024.html