IEEE 802.3bm “Standard for Ethernet Amendment: Physical Layer Specifications and Management Parameters for 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s Operation Over Fiber Optic Cables” is currently under development by the IEEE P802.3bm 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s Fiber Optic Task Force and is anticipated to publish in February, 2015. This project will specify the following new Ethernet protocols:
- 100 Gb/s transmission using a four-lane electrical interface (8 fibers total) for operation over multimode optical fiber cabling
- 100 Gb/s transmission using four-wavelength CWDM or PCM4 (2 fibers total) or 4 x 25 Gb/s serial (8 fibers total) for operation over singlemode optical fiber cabling
- 100 Gb/s four-lane electrical interface between host ICs and optical modules for use in electrical backplanes
- 40 Gb/s transmission (2 fibers total) over extended reach (> 10 km) singlemode fiber optic cabling
The rapid growth of server, network, and internet traffic is driving the need for higher data rates, higher density, and lower cost optical fiber Ethernet solutions, especially in the data center space. The 100 Gb/s optical fiber Ethernet applications specified in IEEE 802.3ba include a ten-lane electrical interface (20 fibers total) for operation over multimode optical fiber cabling (100GBASE-SR10) and a 4 x 25 Gb/s wavelength division multiplexed solution (2 fibers total) for operation over singlemode optical fiber cabling (100GBASE-LR4). Advances in technology now allow the specification of new 100 Gb/s Physical Layer types with reduced lane count and complexity to reduce cost. In addition, this new project adds two new Ethernet applications that had not been previously specified for 100 Gb/s Ethernet operation over electrical backplanes and 40 Gb/s Ethernet operation over extended reach (> 10 km) singlemode fiber optic cabling.
The IEEE 802.3 Next Generation 100 Gb/s Optical Ethernet Call-For-Interest Consensus Presentation can be found here: http://www.ieee802.org/3/100GNGOPTX/public/jul11/CFI_01_0711.pdf
The IEEE 802.3 Extended reach 40 Gb/s Optical Ethernet Call-For-Interest Consensus Presenation can be found here: http://www.ieee802.org/3/100GNGOPTX/public/CFI_extended40Gb/40G_ER_CFI.pdf
The current focus of the IEEE 802.3bm 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s Fiber Optic Task Force is the development of a draft for Task Force review.
The Project Authorization Request (PAR), approved on May 10, 2013, can be found here: http://www.ieee802.org/3/bm/P802.3bm_May2013.pdf
The project objectives, adopted on November 15, 2012, (refer to: http://www.ieee802.org/3/bm/P8023bm_Objectives_1112.pdf) are as follows:
- Support full duplex operation only
- Preserve the 802.3 / Ethernet frame format utilizing the 802.3 MAC
- Preserve minimum and maximum Frame Size of current 802.3 standard
- Support a BER better than or equal to 10-12 at the MAC/PLS service interface
- Provide appropriate support for OTN
- Define re-timed 4-lane 100G PMA to PMA electrical interfaces for chip to chip and chip to module applications
- Define a 40 Gb/s PHY for operation over at least 40 km of SMF
- Define a 100 Gb/s PHY for operation up to at least 500 m of SMF
- Define a 100 Gb/s PHY for operation up to at least 100 m of MMF
- Define a 100 Gb/s PHY for operation up to at least 20 m of MMF
- Specify optional Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) for 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s operation over fiber optic cables