Thread Links Date Links
Thread Prev Thread Next Thread Index Date Prev Date Next Date Index

Re: [802.3_50G] CAUI-4 operating modes



Chris,

 

CAUI-4 is separate from CR4. System companies looked for the definition of each to be compatible with a common implementation supporting both, but that does not make them the same.

 

Jeff

 

From: Chris Cole [mailto:chris.cole@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2016 10:24 AM
To: STDS-802-3-50G@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [802.3_50G] CAUI-4 operating modes

 

CAUI-4 with KR4 RS-528 FEC was developed in the P802.3bj project you led to first support CR4. P802.3bm then defined SR4 with CAUI-4 with KR4 FEC. This enable subsequent efforts to quickly define optical PMDs that use KR4 FEC. P802.3bm also defined CAUI-4 with no FEC to support existing PMDs; LR4 and ER4.

 

So coming out of 802.3bm we had two CAUI-4 operating modes, one without FEC for backwards compatibility, and one with FEC for new PMDs.


Chris

 

From: John D'Ambrosia [mailto:jdambrosia@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2016 10:04 AM
To: STDS-802-3-50G@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [802.3_50G] CAUI-4 operating modes

 

Reading the spec – it looks more like the specification of CAUI-4 is done not assuming FEC, but a port type may include FEC that could go over the CAUI-4.

 

From: Rick Rabinovich [mailto:rrabinovich@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2016 12:20 PM
To: STDS-802-3-50G@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [802.3_50G] CAUI-4 operating modes

 

Correct, CAUI-4 does not include FEC.

 

Rick Rabinovich

Hardware Architect – Signal Integrity

cid:image007.png@01CE6DA7.29CB7A10

rrabinovich@xxxxxxxxxxx

Phone: +1 (818) 208-7328

26601 W. Agoura Rd.

Calabasas, CA 91302 US

visit: www.ixiacom.com

 

From: Gary Nicholl (gnicholl) [mailto:gnicholl@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2016 9:18 AM
To: Rick Rabinovich <rrabinovich@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: STDS-802-3-50G@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: CAUI-4 operating modes

 

Perhaps, but 802.3bj did not define CAUI-4 and Chris’s comment was  specifically on CAUI-4.

 

Gary 

 

From: Rick Rabinovich <rrabinovich@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wednesday, February 24, 2016 at 12:15 PM
To: Gary Nicholl <gnicholl@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: "STDS-802-3-50G@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" <STDS-802-3-50G@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: CAUI-4 operating modes

 

Hi Gary,

 

Thank you for bringing this up . CAUI-4 defined in IEEE802.3bm was specified without FEC to eliminate the latency incurred.

 

Perhaps Chris was also referring to 4x25G as defined in IEEE802.3bj which includes RS-FEC for 100GBASE-CR4.

 

Cordially,

 

 

Rick Rabinovich

Hardware Architect – Signal Integrity

cid:image007.png@01CE6DA7.29CB7A10

rrabinovich@xxxxxxxxxxx

Phone: +1 (818) 208-7328

26601 W. Agoura Rd.

Calabasas, CA 91302 US

visit: www.ixiacom.com

 

From: Gary Nicholl (gnicholl) [mailto:gnicholl@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2016 9:08 AM
To: STDS-802-3-50G@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [802.3_50G] CAUI-4 operating modes

 

Following on from the discussion this morning I checked 802.3bm and there is only a single operating mode for CAUI-4. 

 

CAUI-4 C2M is defined in Annex 83E. There is only one operating mode and that assumes no FEC.

 

 

There is no separate FEC operating mode, where some of the FEC gain is used to relax the CAUI-4 electrical specifications. 

 

In 802.3bm if RS-FEC is being used, it is  carried completely transparently over the CAUI-4 interface, and all of the FEC gain is used for the PMD (i.e. 100GBASE-SR4). The CAUI-4 specification is completely independent  of whether FEC is being used on the link or not.  Perhaps this is what Chris meant by “two CAUI-4 operating modes” on the call this morning, even though from a CAUI-4 perspective there  is only a single operating mode? 

 

Another way to state this is that the FEC requirements for the host are defined by the PMDs to be supported and not the CAUI.

 

Gary