Re: A SON-NET by any other name...
Patrick Gilliland wrote:
>
> Rich,
>
> I have to disagree about HARI as an interface
> for the optical PMD. I do not believe it is
> the right choice for the optical transceiver
> interface. I believe a serial input at the
> full line rate is in order here, unless one
> utilizes a Multi-Amplitude-Signalling approach
> to the 10Gb transmission problem.
Patrick,
IEEE P802.3ae is an open forum. I have, jointly with many proponents, proposed
and support Hari an optional interface for LAN PHY PMDs. Please feel free to
submit your ideas as a counter-proposal to Hari. Your next opportunity will be
in Dallas in January. According to the chair's schedule, you have until July,
2000 to bring forth your proposal. It does little good to only argue your
position here. i doubt that the Hari proposal will be withdrawn.
> I have not seen any postings from you on MAS, nor
> did you follow up my last note on the use of MAS
> being the best justification for a parallel inter-
> face to the optical PMD. So I am wondering if you
> are in any way backing away from MAS as your preferred
> solution to 10Gb optical transmission. For the rest
> of my comments please see my stanzas below your text:
I've been a bit busy starting a company, starting the 10 Gigabit Fibre Channel
Project, working on Hari, addressing Hari striping granularity issues, proposing
Serial PMD architecture, playing with my kids, etc. I still view MAS as the most
cost effective means of attaining higher data rates over optics relative to WDM
and using parallel fibers, both of which increase the number of O/E elements
and/or medium fibers. I'm not backing away from MAS by a long shot... Don't you
worry :-)
> -----------------------------------------------------
>
> At 11:20 PM 12/2/99 -0800, you wrote:
> >
> >Pat,
> >
> >Answer below your questions.
> >
> >The distance I quoted is a maximum. One would not do this if one didn't need to.
> >However, in large switches/routers, this will indeed be the case for some of the
> >ports after a "best effort" placement. In any case, you need to provide an
> >alternative that gets out to a foot or two. I'll make it easy on you and just set
> >the goal at 8". How can you make a 10-12.5 Gbps trace work at this distance in
> >FR-4? Even if place your SerDes "on top" of the transceiver, how do you get the 74
> >signal XMII bus to go 8" back from your SerDes to the MAC?
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------
>
> I am not sure what the choices are here interms of the MAC/XMII
> interface. Can the XMII/MAC interface benefit from Hari
> encoding? I do not see why a HARI or other interface might
> not be used between SERDES and MAC. Or maybe a HARI would fit
> between the SERDES and the optical transceiver.
Hari IS proposed as the interface between the SerDes (PMA) and the optical
transceiver (PMD).
> All I am saying is the optical transciever does not want a
> HARI. It solves no problem in the optical transceiver.
> Therefore, let's put HARI to use where is does some good.
I don't believe that you've answered my question about making 10-12.5 Gbps
traces work for any practical distance between the SerDes and the optical
transceiver.
> --------------------------------------------------------------
>
> >Please consider the entire path from the MAC to the transceiver in
> >typical 10 GbE switch/routers.
> >
> >We're not talking about TIA's and laser drivers that contain handfuls of
> >transistors. We're talking about quite a bit of digital as well as mixed signal
> >logic to support wide data paths, SerDes, clock tolerance compensation circuits,
> >retimers/repeaters, encoding/decoding, state machines to control the link,
> >management functions, etc.
> >
> >SiGe is neither low cost nor commonly available at this point in time or
> >the near future.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------
>
> Again, I must disagree with your statement on SiGe. Both
> IBM and Lucent are foundry sources for very capable SiGe
> silicon designs. This approach is cost effective and has
> many designs going forward. AMCC is already offering
> commercial SiGe products for 10Gb/s TIA and laser drivers.
> The TIA has been a stronghold of GaAs for quite some time
> at these bit rates. Therefore, I must conclude your above
> statement does not reflect these realities due to some
> oversight on your part.
I'll allow others better qualified by me to expound on the cost effectiveness of
CMOS vs. any other technology. I'll just note that in my past life as a
mainframe channel designer, I have seen CMOS replace all other technologies in
the past decade.
> Also, cost effective TIA and laser driver solutions abound
> in GaAs at the 10Gb/s rate. I would point you to the web
> sites of Anadigics, Triquint, and Vitesse. In my role
> in developing advanced transceiver designs, I see an ever
> growing variety of product offerings. I am also seeing
> drastic price reductions in mature GaAs building blocks
> such as TIA, post amplifers, laser drivers. The SiGe
> products will have to hit these targets, and the increased
> availability will prove decisive.
Once again, the point we were discussion here was the path from the MAC to the
transceiver in typical 10 GbE switch/routers, not TIAs and laser drivers.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
>
> >Remember also that if you place your SerDes "on top" of the transceiver in
> >order to make the 10-12.5 Gbps trace to it work, then you're stuck with getting 10
> >Gbps of data from the MAC to the SerDes. What interface are you using here? is it
> >the Parallel GMII? is it he 622 MHz 16-bit + clock parallel bus? How far can this
> >interface go in FR-4?
>
> -------------------------------------------------------
>
> Actually, 16X622Mbps or 10X1.25Gbps sound very exciting.
> The distance achievable would be even greater than HARI
> at 2.5Gb/s if we decide to standardize on one of these
> alternatives. There might be some synergy in the 10X1.25Gb/s
> since it is also the data rate for 10 standard 1.25Gb/s
> Ethernet channels.
16X622Mbps carries a clock and can't come close to making Hari distances. The
other problems are clock distribution and way too many pins to consider making a
pluggable module (i.e. >100 pins vs. today's 20 pin GBICs)
10X1.25Gbps serial clearly goes farther than Hari, but Hari distances are
sufficient for most applications and Hari distances can be significantly
extended with careful layout, equalization, etc. 10X will add approximately 48
signal and ground pins to a pluggable module and doesn't push CMOS technology
enough. Therefore, it is not a cost effective alternative to Hari.
Please feel free to support an existing proposal or make a new one.
> -------------------------------------------------------
>
> >Where is the encoding done (8B/10B or scrambling or other)?
> >If it's in the same ASIC as the Serdes and in GaAs or SiGe, it's not going to
> >compare favorably with a Hari CMOS solution in terms of power and cost.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------
>
> Please refer to an article in EE Times of November 29, 1999
> entitled "Lucent to show SiGe process for 10-Gbit Sonet"
> (Shakespeare never wrote a 10-Gbit Sonnet).
> It describes a process whereby the SiGe bipolar transistors
> can be easily added to the existing CMOS process as a
> selective epitaxial growth. A mixed technology ASIC with
> portions capable of 10Gb/s is just what is needed to respond
> to your concerns above.
>
> And, you get your CMOS right where it belongs.
But it's not going to compare favorably with a Hari CMOS solution in terms of
power and cost.
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >How do you later integrate this into the MAC to cut costs? Once again, please
> >consider the entire path from the MAC to the transceiver in typical 10 GbE
> >switch/routers.
>
> >I'm out of my league here. I'll leave this to the Ron Miller's, Joel Goergen's,
> >Michael Fogg's, Rich Feldmen's, etc. for comment.
> >
> >The connection distances you're talking about in an Optical Sub-Assembly are
> >typically 1 to 2 orders of magnitude shorter than those leaving the OSA and
> >threading their way back to the system. In addition, you have the luxury of not
> >having to use FR-4 within the transceiver since transceiver PCB costs are
> >significantly less than that of a terabit router.
>
> -------------------------------------------------------
>
> Are you trying to say my job is easy? Management here
> has been saying that for several years now.
>
> But I am planning to use FR-4 as the substrate of choice
> for our 10Gb/s optical transceiver designs, so I am
> perfectly happy with the short distance connections < 1-2".
We're going around in circles. I don't believe that you're considering the
system layout requirements of a multi-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch/router.
1-2" is NOT acceptable.
>
> -------------------------------------------------------
>
> >You are proposing extending these 10-12.5 Gbps connections significantly outside
> >the transceiver module another 1 to 2" back to the SerDes. This layout will be
> >very difficult to control and a signal integrity nightmare.
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------
>
> Again, I disagree. the worst we can expect is a little
> lossy behavior which sometimes works in favor of the
> signal termination issues.
And how much jitter budget are you leaving for the PMD-to-PMD (medium)
interface? Hari provides the medium interface with a jitter budget which is
independent of either of the two SerDes to optical transceiver interfaces. This
is one of the most important, if not THE most important attributes of Hari.
> -------------------------------------------------------
>
> >Hari offers a cost effective solution with the highest signal integrity due to
> >low signaling rates (relative to 10-12.5 Gbps) and the shortest high speed
> >connections. A CMOS chip inside a transceiver can be located very, very
> >close to the O/E components.
>
> -------------------------------------------------------
>
> But I don't want a CMOS HARI chip in my transceiver. It
> doesn't solve any problem inside the transceiver. And if
> it doesn't solve any problem inside the transceiver, we are
> not putting it in there just for fun.
I believe that I've pointed out all of the advantages to you individually in
this note. Please see the Kauai Hari presentations for a good summary.
> And besides, which CMOS technology is going to put out the
> 12.5 Gbaud serial signal? If CMOS is not capable of this, it
> is implied I will have another multiplexer chip inside the
> transceiver to undo what the HARI has done for me (i.e. "solved"
> the problems of high speed serial interfaces by making them
> parallel again). And this implied chip will have to be GaAs
> or SiGe in order to drive the laser and act as the interface
> to the TIA and post amplifier.
That's exactly why MAS, which can be completely implemented in CMOS including
the laser driver, is such a good idea.
> I do not see any value to adding such a CMOS HARI chip
> inside the optical PMD definition.
Here are a couple:
- Lowering the line rate requirements
- Interfacing directly with existing high-speed Mux/Demux chips
- Removing as much logic out of the latter elements for future generation parts
- Providing the medium interface with the greatest jitter budget
- Reducing the pin count to the PMD and MAC/PHY enabling configurations such as
pluggable SFF transceivers
- Allowing 20" or longer traces between the PMD and MAC/PHY
- Enabling low-cost power integrated MAC/PHYs
- Allowing the continued use of cost effective and common FR-4 PCB
> --------------------------------------------------------------
>
> >Your worst signal integrity problem is with the Hari
> >interface. This problem is manageable.
> >
> >Please allow me to give you an idea of how cost effective a 10 Gbps LAN port can
> >be in the future. I'll list the port element form the MAC forward and leave you to
> >run the numbers. Please feel free to compare it to any other technology/implementation.
> >
> >1) 10 GbE MAC is part of a multi-port, say 8-port chip. This is standard 0.25
> >micron CMOS.
> >
> >2) The Parallel 10 GMII, PCS, and PMA is integrated into the multi-port hip and
> >available as a core. No change to the chip technology is required. However
> >cost/power savings result from going to a better process like 0.18 micron CMOS or
> >better. The interface out for each port is Hari.
> >
> >3) The PCB is FR-4, the traces to the transceiver can easily be 20-24".
> >
> >4) At the end of the trace is a transceiver/PMD. This can be any 10 GbE PMD
> >including Serial, which I'll focus on to reduce your costs. First we have a CMOS
> >chip in the transceiver which interfaces with Hari, cleans us the Hari and medium
> >jitter, deskews Hari and the medium , compensates for clock tolerance differences
> >if multiple clock domains exist, controls Hari's serial lanes, provides management
> >functions, provide endec functions to achieve the lowest possible line rate,
> >interfaces to high speed logic signal logic. Optional functions such as smart link
> >control, Optical Auto-Negotiation, MAS provide significant additional benefits
> >but I'll ignore those for this exercise. Bottom line is that this is a CMOS chip
> >which significantly reduces what the remaining high-speed logic needs to do.
> >Therefore, reducing the complexity and power consumption of that logic.
> >
> >5) High-speed mux/demux and CDR for 10 Gbps (BiCMOS, SiGe or GaAs)..
> >
> >6) Optoelectronics including Laser driver, Laser, PIN, TIA and Post-AMP for 10 Gbps.
> >
> >7) Transceiver packaging and connectorization through a front panel connector.
> >
> >Given the above. I can envision a 3.5X GbE port cost at maturity by just comparing
> >to the corresponding GbE bill of materials.
> >
> >I'd be interested in seeing the bill of material for your proposed transceiver to
> >MAC path.
>
> -----------------------------------------------------
>
> I won't try to compete with you here. I disagree with
> the features you have included in the optical PMD. If
> you remove items 4) and 5) from the transceiver you define
> above(the HARI chip and the mux) we have a deal. Everything
> which belongs in the transceiver is items 6) and 7).
>
> Otherwise, you have defined a typical telecomm style
> transceiver (translation: communications subsystem)
> which does not work for low cost data-centric networks.
So you're saying that a pluggable self-contained 10 Gbps transceiver with a port
cost 3.5X GbE at maturity "does not work for low cost data centric networks". I
don't understand how you can compare the 10 GbE port I described above to a "a
typical telecom style transceiver". I view it as a highly integrated MAC/PHY
ASIC and 10XGBIC.
>
> Low cost transceiver designs are often multi-platform
> and multi-protocol. The best way to achieve this goal
> is what the industry has already decided. Produce optical
> transceivers which can handle traffic at a given bit rate
> or range of bit rates. Make this same transceiver serve
> multiple markets as we do today.
What I've discussed above is multi-protocol. It is usable for Ethernet, Fibre
Channel, InfiniBand, etc.
> Presently, one transceiver design accomodates the four main
> markets with only minor testing and tuning variations.
> The Gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel, ATM and central office
> cross connect (SONET-lite) applications are all leveraging
> the same set of components and vendors. All enjoy the
> benefits of the significant volumes. I daresay the SONET
> guys won't be putting the same type of parallel interface
> into their transceiver definition anytime soon. This means
> any 10GbE transceiver with a HARI interface will be a special
> for the GbE switch market.
I've put my cards describing a multi-protocol 10 Gbps port architecture on the
table which can meet all HSSG objectives and kick butt in terms of economic
feasibility. I have yet to see your cards.
> Additionally, your desire to include HARI in the optical
> PMD does not address the needs of hub and other traffic
> forwarding equipment designs. For this application where
> the design needs to take in 10-12 GbE lines and trunk them
> up to a 10GbE serial rate, you would require them to first
> convert each line to the parallel HARI format and then
> reconvert to serial 10GbE in order to accomodate your
> wishes to include HARI in the optical PMD. The trunking of
> ten 1.25Gbaud lines need not be sucha cumbersome task.
GbE to 10 GbE translation goes through at least the MAC layer. MAC frame formats
are common for these Ethernet speeds. I may be missing your issue, but we don't
do add-drop multiplexing in Ethernet. Please clarify.
>
> Exit stage left.
Oh... I'm sure you'll be back.
> Best Regards,
>
> Patrick Gilliland
> patgil@xxxxxxxxxxx
--
Best Regards,
Rich
-------------------------------------------------------------
Richard Taborek Sr. Tel: 408-330-0488 or 408-370-9233
Chief Technology Officer Cell: 408-832-3957
nSerial Corporation Email: rtaborek@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
2500-5 Augustine Dr. Alt email: rtaborek@xxxxxxxxxx
Santa Clara, CA 95054