fX3 Quint-speed 4-port Module FX3-QSFP28-4-125A 100/25G QSFP28 Test Module

Four-port QSFP28 TestCenter Layer 2-3 test module with 100G and 25G Ethernet speed modes.

Frame time-stamp resolution: 2.5 ns
External time sources: GPS and CDMA-based, IEEE 1588v2 and NTP packet-based, and TIA/EIA-95B-based external time sources are supported
Default time source: Stratum-3 rated oscillator is the default time source
Inter-module and inter-chassis time synchronization: Ports in the same chassis are locked to the internal timing source. For separate systems: timing chain synchronization with ±20ns; synchronized via GPS or CDMA network; using NTP or PTP packet-based approaches

Datasheet

Overview

TestCenter 100G test solutions provide Layer 2-3 validation for data center, service provider and enterprise networks built on 100G Ethernet. The family is centered on the TestCenter chassis platforms with dX, fX, mX and pX 100G test modules, plus the M1 compact appliance, and supports modular test environments for performance validation, interoperability testing and long-term network evolution. The FX3-QSFP28-4-125A is one of the orderable configurations in this family.

Two platform types are offered. The modular chassis (N12U mainframe or N4U compact) is intended for high-port-density environments and large-scale Layer 2-3 validation with centralized lab deployment. The M1 compact appliance is a 2U unit for rapid turn-up scenarios where simplicity and fast deployment matter, while keeping the same TestCenter workflow and test depth.

Timing and software

Both platforms are built on the TestCenter solution framework and use interchangeable dX, fX, mX and pX multi-speed modules or M1 network interface configurations. Timing is derived from a Stratum-3 rated oscillator with 2.5 ns frame time-stamp resolution, and external GPS, CDMA, IEEE 1588v2 and NTP time sources can be used for inter-chassis synchronization. TestCenter protocol emulation and test packages are available as separately licensed software, and the hardware integrates with TestCenter 400G to 1.6T platforms and TestCenter Virtual.

Key Features

High-density Ethernet testing with dX, fX, mX and pX test modules or the M1 appliance with a variety of NIC configurations
Regression testing and long-term network lifecycle assurance
Line-rate traffic generation and analysis across large port counts
Repeatable measurement of latency, jitter, throughput and packet loss
Standards-aligned validation for multi-vendor interoperability
Integration with 400G to 1.6T TestCenter hardware and TestCenter Virtual environments
Stratum-3 rated oscillator as the default time source
2.5 ns frame time-stamp resolution
GPS, CDMA, IEEE 1588v2, NTP and TIA/EIA-95B external time sources supported
TestCenter protocols and test packages available as separately licensed software
Four QSFP28 ports, each using four 25G electrical lanes
FPGA-based mode switching of the packet generation and analysis engine between speed modes
Hardware speed options to customize module speeds and features
Enable and disable Clause 74 BASE-R FEC, Clause 91 RS-FEC, Clause 108 RS-FEC, Auto Negotiation and Link Training
Intelligent power control to shut down unused test modules with faster boot time
Hardened system proven for testing from a single port up to 2,100 ports
Emulated devices, traffic and rates can be changed on the fly during a test
Sub-microsecond latency measurement with 2.5 ns precision and resolution
19 different traffic scheduling algorithms
Autonomous Flow Tracking (AFT) for massive flow visualization in 100G speed mode
Real-time traffic filters with simultaneous multi-metric collection
Dynamic views with multi-metric extraction, sorting and operation in real time or post-test
Full packet capture with trigger and filtering controls

Specifications

Timing and Synchronization

Frame time-stamp resolution	2.5 ns
External time sources	GPS and CDMA-based, IEEE 1588v2 and NTP packet-based, and TIA/EIA-95B-based external time sources are supported
Default time source	Stratum-3 rated oscillator is the default time source
Inter-module and inter-chassis time synchronization	Ports in the same chassis are locked to the internal timing source. For separate systems: timing chain synchronization with ±20ns; synchronized via GPS or CDMA network; using NTP or PTP packet-based approaches NTP/PTP approaches require supporting controller version

Ports and Interfaces

Maximum support speed	100/25G
Maximum ports per slot	4/16 100G/25G
Maximum ports per N12U chassis	48/192 100G/25G
Maximum ports per N4U chassis	8/32 100G/25G
Port density	4-port QSFP28 module options
Electrical interface	Four QSFP28 ports that utilize four 25G electrical lanes each
Host chassis	Modules get their transmit line clocking and time-stamping from the control modules on the N12U and N4U Chassis
Media support	100G: 100GBASE-SR4, 100GBASE-CR4, 100GBASE-LR4, plus additional MSA PMDs; 50G: 25/50G Consortium 50GBASE-CR2; 40G: 40GBASE-SR4, 40GBASE-CR4, 40GBASE-LR4; 25G: 802.3by 25GBASE-CR, 25GBASE-CRS, 25GBASE-SR; 10G: 10GBASE-SR, 10G Copper DAC; QSFP28 to SFP28 breakout cable options Support varies by module speed mode
FEC, auto-negotiation and link training	Auto-Negotiation and Link Training for 100G, 50G, 40G and 25G; Clause 74 BASE-R FEC, Clause 91 RS-FEC, and Clause 108 RS-FEC; 25/50G Consortium 50GBase-R FEC CL74, 25/50G Consortium 50GBase RS-FEC CL91; IEEE 25GBASE CR CL74, CL108, CR-S CL74, SR FEC CL108; 25/50G Consortium 25GBase-R FEC CL74, 25/50G Consortium 25GBase RS-FEC CL91 Support varies by module speed mode

Traffic Generation and Analysis

User reservation	Per-port reservation
Transmit/receive streams per port	64k TX and 128k RX for all speeds
VFDs and variable fields	6 VFDs available for each 1k (100G) and 512 (50/40/25/10G) stream templates; 4 m route insertion table entries for all speeds
Scheduler mode support	Port Based (traffic scheduling handled at the port level); Rate Based (key parameters determined at the port level with division among the individual stream blocks); Priority Based (scheduling determined at the stream block level using user-assigned priorities, precise scheduling of CBR and bursty traffic for QoS testing); Manual Mode (manual control of stream sequence)
Frame length range and controls	100% line rate for frames of 64-16383 bytes controlled by fixed, increment, decrement, random and IMIX modes
Statistics	Nearly 50 transmit stats per port reported in real time, including L1-4 counters and rates and checksum and CRC errors; over 40 real-time measurements per stream including advanced sequencing, latency, jitter and data integrity
Autonomous Flow Tracking (AFT)	Available for fX3 4-port module 100G speed mode only Requires AFT package BPK-1407
Transmit clock adjustment	±100 PPM in 1 PPM increments per 2 100G ports
Capture	1 MB per 100G or 40G port; 512 kB per 50G port; 256 kB per 25G port Capture software includes sophisticated trigger and filtering controls
Histogram modes	Port-level histogram modes for latency, jitter, interarrival time, frame length, sequence run length and sequence difference check

Protocol Emulation

Enterprise and data center switch protocol support

OpenFlow 1.3 / 1.0 switch and controller emulation testing; all major IPv4 and IPv6 unicast and multicast routing protocols, IGMPv1/v2/v3, MLDv1/v2, LACP, STP, RSTP and MSTP; data center: VXLAN, EVPN, DCBX, FCoE, FIP, 802.1Qbb

Separately licensed packages; sample list

Service provider protocol support

WAN SDN: PCE-P, BGP-LS, BGP Flow Spec and Segment Routing for ISIS, OSPF and BGP; NFV: vSwitch, BGP vRouteReflector, vBNG, vCPE and vRouter; Routing and MPLS: RSVP-TE, LDP, VPLS-LDP, VPLS-BGP, BGP/MPLS-VPN, EVPN (RFC 7432), PBB EVPN, mVPN, NG MVPN, GTM, BFD, MPLS BFD, LSP Ping, TWAMP and PWE3 (RFC4447); Access: ANCP, PPPoE, DHCP, L2TP, L2TPv3, IGMPv1/v2/v3, MLDv1/v2, DHCP-PD and PPPoEv6; Carrier Ethernet: LACP, STP, RSTP, MSTP, 802.1ag CFM, Y.1731, PBB, PBB-TE, Link OAM; Mobile Backhaul: MPLS-TP, 1588v2 and Synchronous Ethernet

Separately licensed packages; sample list

Environmental

Operating temperature	15°C - 35°C, 20% - 80% RH (non-condensing)

Specifications are taken from the manufacturer's documentation. See the datasheet for complete and current values.

Applications

Large-scale data center and core network validation
Interoperability and acceptance testing across switches, routers, optics and cables
Regression testing through software upgrades, hardware refreshes and topology changes
Service provider core and edge routers
Data center top-of-rack, spine and core switches
Carrier Ethernet services (Ethernet OAM, MPLS-TP, VPLS, PWE3 pseudowires)
Device benchmarking per IETF RFC 2544, RFC 2889 and RFC 3918
Functional and performance testing of data center and service provider network infrastructure
Multicast VPN, EVPN and MPLS VPN service validation

Options & Accessories

Option	Description
HWO-FX3-QSFP28-4-50G	50G Hardware Speed Option for FX3-QSFP28-4 — Adds a new speed to a purchased base package
HWO-FX3-QSFP28-4-40G	40G Hardware Speed Option for FX3-QSFP28-4 — Adds a new speed to a purchased base package
HWO-FX3-QSFP28-4-10G	10G Hardware Speed Option for FX3-QSFP28-4 — Adds a new speed to a purchased base package
BPK-1407	Autonomous Flow Tracking (AFT) Package — Only supported on fX3 4-port 100G speed mode
ACC-6095A	Optical Transceiver QSFP28 100GBASE-SR4 MMF 850NM
ACC-6096A	Optical Transceiver QSFP28 100GBASE-LR4 SMF 1310NM