IEEE 802.3bj “IEEE Standard for Ethernet Amendment: Physical Layer Specifications and Management Parameters for 100 Gb/s Operation Over Backplanes and Copper Cables” is currently under development by the IEEE P802.3bj 100 Gb/s Backplane and Copper Cable Task Force and is anticipated to publish in August, 2014. Rapid growth of server, network, and internet traffic is driving the need for higher data rates over backplanes and and there is a market need for a lower cost, lower power, and higher density solution for twinaxial copper cables than 100GBASE-CR10. This project will specify 4 lane Physical Layer (PHY) specifications and management parameters for 100 Gb/s operation on backplanes and twinaxial copper cables and optional Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) for 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s operation over backplanes and copper cables.
Three new Physical Layer implementations will be defined as follows:
100GBASE-CR4: IEEE 802.3 Physical Layer specification for 100 Gb/s using 100GBASE-R encoding and Clause 91 RS-FEC over four lanes of shielded balanced copper cabling, with reach up to at least 5 m
100GBASE-KP4: IEEE 802.3 Physical Layer specification for 100 Gb/s using 100GBASE-R encoding, Clause 91 RS-FEC, and 4-level pulse amplitude modulation over four lanes of an electrical back-plane, with a total insertion loss up to 33 dB at 7 GHz
100GBASE-KR4: IEEE 802.3 Physical Layer specification for 100 Gb/s using 100GBASE-R encoding, Clause 91 RS-FEC, and 2-level pulse amplitude modulation over four lanes of an electrical back-plane, with a total insertion loss up to 35 dB at 12.9 GHz
The IEEE 802.3 100 Gb/s Backplane and Copper Cable Call-For-Interest Consensus Presentation can be found here: http://www.ieee802.org/3/100GCU/public/nov10/index.html
The current focus of the IEEE P802.3bj 100 Gb/s Backplane and Copper Cable Task Force is resolution of comments received during Working Group ballot review of their draft.
The Project Authorization Request (PAR), approved on September 10, 2011, can be found here: http://www.ieee802.org/3/bj/P802.3bj_1212.pdf
The project objectives, adopted approved in July 2011 with changes through July, 2012, (refer to: http://www.ieee802.org/3/bj/objectives_0712.pdf) are as follows:
- Support full-duplex operation only
- Preserve the 802.3 / Ethernet frame format utilizing the 802.3 MA
- Support a BER of better than or equal to 10-12 at the MAC/PLS service interface
- Define a 4 lane PHY for operation over a printed circuit board backplane with a total channel insertion loss of <= 35 dB at 12.9 GHz
- Define a 4 lane PHY for operation over a printed circuit board backplane with a total channel insertion loss of <= 33 dB at 7.0 GHz
- Define a 4-lane 100 Gb/s PHY for operation over links consistent with copper twin-axial cables with lengths up to at least 5m
- To define optional Energy-Efficient Ethernet operation for 100G Backplane and Twinaxial cable PHYs specified in P802.3bj
- To define optional Energy-Efficient Ethernet operation for 100GBASE-CR10
- To define optional Energy-Efficient Ethernet operation for 40GBASE-CR4 and 40GBASE-KR4