Roy's thread
Roy & others,
If we want to do a simple serial PHY, then we need a simple parallel interface. An OIF style x16 interface is good, as would be a TBI (ten bit interface). In either case we have a parallel word with clock. While this is simple, it has two issues that the Hari interface avoids; the high pin count and the tight skew requirments.
Just because Hari exists does not make the simple x16 or x10 interface go away. Chips and modules with these interfaces either do, or can, exist, and equipment people can easily use them.
Meanwhile the Hari world may also want a simple Hari repeater. Such a device would be a simple 'eye opener' for a media that retains the 4 channels as independent. Such a repeater opens the discussion of Hari as a PHY interface, which up till now has not been well discussed.
Regards, Bill
Rich,
I'm not sure what gave you the idea that Hari was favorable to serial PHYs. I do know that
it is not favorable to anything other than the legacy fiber channel 8B10B LAN PHY. Hari is
NOT a PHY neutral device interconnect. Some LAN vendors have very huge boards and they want
something that will support their 8B10B encoding over the distance of their board, and also
the back plane if needed. By introducing Hari as the standard for device interconnect
between the PMA and the PMD, they are specifically, and possibly knowingly, hampering the
development of the agreed on WAN PHY. There is no mechanism for rate controlling over
Hari. This is in violation of the agreed objective in this regard. Hari is an attempt by a
specific camp to control the development of 10GbE and limit development of anything other
than the 10.0 only rate PHY.
As you will remember, I called the presenters and floor on the issue of what Hari really
was. It was admitted that it was a LAN extension interconnect by the individual that
responded. For those of us that are attempting to bring 802.3 into the 20th century by
making a truly ubiquitous MAC, we have been astounded by the brazen push of this
"interconnect". Chip makers will confirm that Hari specifically makes the WAN PHY
extremely difficult to implement. Since Hari truly is not common to all of the PHYs as
specified in the objectives, I suggest that it be withdrawn from consideration as part of
the 10GbE standard.
Thank you,
Roy Bynum
Bill Woodruff ph: 805 496-7181 x14
GiGA North America Inc. fax: 805 496-7507
299 W. Hillcrest Dr., Suite 206 woodruff@xxxxxxxxxxx
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 http://www.giga.dk/
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