November 17, 2013. Agilent Technologies has introduced a compliance testing application for devices that use SFP+ (enhanced small form-factor pluggable) standards in networking and server applications.
Agilent’s solution for transmitter tests includes SFP+ and optional QSFP+ (quad-enhanced small form-factor pluggable) test standards as described in the SFF-8431 specification. The N6468A SFP+ Ethernet compliance application can be used with all currently shipping Infiniium real-time oscilloscopes that have bandwidths of 25 GHz or more.
The growth of telecommunications and data communications between network devices such as servers, routers, and media converters has intensified demand for greater bandwidth between these devices. SFP+ and QSFP+ technologies, which allow a large number of devices to communicate across fiber optic and copper cables, are widely used in networking hardware.
The Agilent SFP+ compliance application provides an automated test script that allows engineers to test transmitter signals quickly and reliably. The compliance application can test SFP+ and optionally QSFP+ devices with Agilent’s switch matrix option. The compliance application can be automated to run over extended periods of time, and it allows engineers to add incremental user-defined tests if desired.