HP Responds to Gigabit Ethernet Standards with Fiber-Optic Transceiver Modules and IC; Physical-layer Interface Transceivers and IC for Connections up to 2km to be Qualified for Compatibility and Performance

Business Wire, Sept 16, 1996

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 16, 1996--Hewlett- Packard Company today announced that it currently is prototyping a combination of fiber-optic transceiver modules and compatible transceiver IC that will provide a complete physical-layer interface for gigabit per second (Gbit/s) Ethernet LANs with link lengths of up to 2 kilometers (km).

With this technology, HP expects to be the first component supplier to offer complete physical-layer-technology solutions for meeting the emerging industry standards for Gbit Ethernet at 1.25GBd line rate. HP also expects to be the first to address the needs of system designers striving to manufacture equipment that meets the pricing demands and migration patterns of existing fiber-optic local-area network (LAN) installations.

HP's Gbit Ethernet physical-layer solutions for developers of network interface cards (NIC) will include transceiver modules using 850nm vertical-cavity-surface-emitting-laser (VCSEL) technology for shorter distances at lower cost and 1300nm Fabry-Perot-laser technology for longer link lengths. In addition, the solution set offers a discrete, fully integrated IC transceiver that incorporates serialize/deserialize functionality for Gbit Ethernet transmission and reception and operates from a single 3.3V power supply.

"By leveraging our technology expertise and manufacturing capabilities, we hope to provide Gbit Ethernet component solutions at the industry's lowest cost," said William P. (Bill) Sullivan, general manager of HP's Optical Communication Division. "Furthermore, we believe customers get the greatest level of functionality and best performance when they purchase the complete physical-layer interface from a single supplier such as HP."

HP LEVERAGES EXISTING TECHNOLOGY TO MEET STANDARDS

HP is a member of the Gigabit Ethernet Alliance, an industry consortium representing more than 65 leading semiconductor-, networking- and computer-product companies, and participates on the IEEE 802.3 Gigabit Ethernet Committee.

During the IEEE 802.3 Gigabit Ethernet Interim Committee meeting in May, there was extensive discussion regarding the need for 550-meter multimode-fiber link-length specifications with 62/125fm multimode fiber. This was based on a study presented by Compaq that indicated that almost all of the installed base of optical fiber for LAN applications in the United States is 62fm/125fm multimode-fiber cable and that 44 percent of the runs are longer than 500m. The percentages are considered to be very similar for Europe.

In the month following the presentation of the study to the IEEE committee, research by members of the committee found that the limits for 62fm/125fm multimode fiber are projected to be 200m for standard 780nm CD-laser diodes and 250m for 850nm VCSEL illumination sources. It was proposed and agreed at the July 1996, IEEE 802.3 Plenary Committee meeting that 1,300nm wavelength laser sources be supported within the standard to address the demands of the current installed base for fiber-optic LANs that run connections greater than 500m.

HP has discovered that using 1,300nm laser sources intended for single-mode fiber on 62.5fm/125fm multimode fiber can permit link lengths in the 550m to 850m range based on the installed fiber-modal bandwidth. These same sources will provide link lengths of at least 2km when transmitted over single-mode fiber.

To meet these specifications for longer distance runs -- commonly found in campus backbones or between buildings in dense metropolitan areas -- HP is prototyping a 1.25GBd 1,300nm Fabry-Perot laser-based transceiver in the industry-standard, low-cost 1 x 9 package. The transceiver builds upon HP's Gbit/s technology and is intended to be compliant with the IEEE 802.3 Gbit Ethernet specifications.

For shorter-distance runs -- common in workgroup LAN environments -- HP is prototyping similar transceivers encased in a low-cost 1 x 9-pin package that integrates an 850nm VCSEL light source. This unit is intended to operate at distances of up to 500m in 50fm/125fm multimode-fiber-optic cable and up to 250m in 62.5fm/125fm multimode fiber.

The associated 10-bit serializer/deserializer transceiver IC is based on HP's proven Fibre Channel arbitrated-loop design. The current version, based on expected final IEEE 802.3 Gbit Ethernet standards, converts 10-bit wide parallel data from an 8B/10B encoder for serial transmission over fiber or copper cable and provides the inverse function with received data. The IC will be available in both 10 x 10-pin and 14 x 14-pin surface-mount packages.

AVAILABILITY

Prototype versions of the 850nm VCSEL fiber-optic transceiver and the 10-bit serializer/deserializer transceiver IC are now available by contacting the Components Response Center: -0-

1-800-235-0312

408/654-8675

fax: 408/654-8574

e-mail: components_salesreponse@hp-sanjose-om1.om.hp.com. -0-

Prototypes of the 1.25GBd 1,300nm Fabry-Perot laser-based transceiver are expected to be available in December 1996.