10G copper passes interoperability test

In the packet error ratio test, Cisco Nexus 5020 and Arastra DCS-7124S switches were connected to each end of a 10 meter (33 feet), 26AWG twin-ax copper cable assembly. Data traffic composed of 200 million 1518-byte ICMP echo requests was generated and sent across the cable at a BER of 10-12 or better. Test results confirmed that no data packets were lost.

Phyworks CEO Stephen King said, “Datacenters, system and cable manufacturers are all seeking a lower power, lower cost alternative to existing 10G optical and copper solutions for short range data links. This independent operability test, from a well respected test house, proves that copper cables can provide another solution at 10G which is better suited to shorter distances than 10GBASE-SR and CX4.”

“In terms of reliability and performance, we have already proven that copper cable assemblies based on the PHY2060 chip will actually guarantee link performance up to 30 meters, and since 80% of data center interconnects for example are up to this length, the test results will be significant news for the industry as a whole. Datacenters in particular need cost, weight and power taken out. ”

To support an increasing range of voice, video and data services while keeping capital expenditure down, datacenter operators are turning to interconnect technology as a means of reducing cost and power consumption. The PHY2060 easily integrates into hot-pluggable active XFP and SFP+ copper cable assemblies providing datacenter operators with greater system flexibility and choice.