[LINK] 640Gbps over fiber-optic with no errors

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

<http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/lans/2009/041309lan1.html?t51hb>


. In a paper published in the Feb 16th edition of Optics Express, 
researchers detail their approach for de-multiplexing signals at high 
speeds, claiming that they were able to achieve 640Gbps over fiber-optic 
lines with no errors. 

 <http://www.opticsinfobase.org/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-17-4-2182>

The material they used in the chip is chalcogenide, and Australian 
researchers were talking about the high-speed networking possibilities of 
the material last summer. 

 <http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/07/09/1215282927991.html>

Calling it "just a piece of scratched glass," they said it could 
potentially be cheap to produce. 

At these bit rates, the researchers say that it is only possible to 
perform switching with an all-optical system, using optical time-division 
multiplexing.  And chalcogenide allows for "femtosecond response time".

Recently, Sreedhar Kajeepeta, a CTO at CSC, wrote about how a Terabit 
Ethernet could be used. 

Presumably, it would not just be used for aggregating lower-speed links, 
but would inspire us to reach higher, to new applications, perhaps to 
something called Augmented Reality. That application is where real-life 
video and audio are combined with virtual video and audio. 


Also: <http://www.networkworld.com/news/tech/2009/033009-tech-update.html>

By Sreedhar Kajeepeta , Network World , 03/30/2009 

Looking down the LAN road, the Terabit Ethernet milestone is very much in 
sight. 

While 3.2Tbps and 6.4Tbps speeds were demonstrated in test environments 
by Siemens/WorldCom and NEC/Nortel respectively starting in 2001, the 
first set of viable solutions are just now taking shape. 

The Feb. 16th edition of Optics Express included a paper detailing the 
efforts of researchers from Australia, Denmark and China who joined 
forces to demonstrate the feasibility of a Terabit Ethernet over regular 
fiber-optic cables. Terabit speeds bring us to the x1Million improvement 
in speed from where Ethernet started in 1976. 

By focusing on materials research related to fiber-optic circuits, 
Australia's Center for Ultra-high bandwidth Device for Optical Systems 
(CUDOS) achieved a breakthrough with the introduction of an exotic 
compound called "Chalcogenide" that could make commercializing Terabit 
circuits practical. 

Although CUDOS Research Director Ben Eggleton says it will take years to 
reach production readiness, this does coincide with Bob Metcalfe's 
prediction that we may start seeing the first commercial use of Terabit 
Ethernets by 2015. 

Today, of course, the industry is focused on shorter-term goals. 

The IEEE 802.3ba is working on 40GbE and 100GbE standards, and NTT is the 
first company to announce a reliable 100GbE circuit. But many network 
vendors are focusing on 10GbE, in particular, development of cost-
effective 10GbE interfaces for copper so buyers don't have to upgrade to 
fiber-optics. 

>From their debut in 2001, 10GbE switches have indeed become more 
affordable, dropping from about $40,000 to $4,000. Industry analysts 
expect 10GbE adoption to jump 30% this year. 

Most campus LANs are getting by with speeds of 100Mbps, but there are 
examples of 1GbE and 10GbE switches at the server and backbone layers, 
and also the use of fiber-optics between servers. And most laptops ship 
with an Ethernet card capable of handling 1Gbps or even 10Gbps..

--

Cheers,
Stephen