VIAVI TestCenter 400G Appliances and Test Modules (A1, A2, A3, dX3) for 400G Ethernet Testing
TestCenter A1, A2, A3 and dX3 QSFP-DD appliances and modules for Layer 2–3 and AI workload testing at 400G, 200G and 100G.
- MSA Interface
- QSFP-DD
- Operational Modes
- PAM4 – 400/200/100G/50G; NRZ – 200/100/50/40/25/10G
- Frame time-stamp resolution
- 2.5 ns
- Operating Temperature Range
- 41° to 86°F (5° to 30°C) ambient temperature
Overview
VIAVI TestCenter 400G Appliances and Test Modules are used to validate data center, cloud, service provider and enterprise networks moving to higher Ethernet speeds. The family is built on the TestCenter A1, A2 and A3 appliances and the dX and pX TestCenter test modules, and is intended for engineering and operations teams that design, deploy and optimize 400G infrastructure with a path toward 800G.
The platform validates performance, conformance and interoperability from Layer 2 through Layer 3. Multiple appliance form factors and port densities are offered, so the same test approach can be used in labs, manufacturing and live network environments. Ports use QSFP-DD interfaces and support PAM4 and NRZ encoding, Auto Negotiation and Link Training, and MACsec on the A1 and A3 platforms.
AI data center testing
The A1 400G 16-port appliance supports high-scale AI workload validation, including RoCEv2 and Collective Communication Library (CCL) traffic patterns used in AI data center fabrics. Licensed options add RoCEv2 congestion control (DCQCN, PFC), GPU emulation per port and job completion time (JCT) reporting.
Use cases
Typical applications include leaf-spine fabric validation under production-scale traffic, performance and resiliency testing of service provider 400G routing platforms and backbones, multi-vendor interoperability and acceptance testing of switches, routers, optics and cables, and regression testing that establishes baselines and verifies that software, hardware or topology changes do not degrade performance.
Models in this series
| Model | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| A1-400-QD-16 |
TestCenter A1 400G 16-port Appliance A1-400-QD-16 QSFP-DD Test Platform
16-port QSFP-DD 2U test appliance for 400/200/100/50G PAM4 and NRZ Ethernet with RoCEv2 and CCL AI workload emulation. |
Details → |
| A2-400-QD-8 |
TestCenter A2 400G 8-port QSFP-DD Appliance A2-400-QD-8
8-port 2U QSFP-DD test appliance for Layer 2-3 Ethernet testing at 400/200/100/50G PAM4 and 200/100/50/40/25/10G NRZ. |
Details → |
| A2-400-QD-16 |
VIAVI TestCenter A2-400-QD-16 A2 400G 16-Port 2U QSFP-DD Test Appliance
16-port 2U QSFP-DD Ethernet test appliance supporting 400/200/100/50G PAM4 and 200/100/50/40/25/10G NRZ speed modes |
Details → |
| A3-400-QD-4 |
VIAVI TestCenter A3-400-QD-4 A3 400G 4-Port High Performance QSFP-DD Test Appliance
4-port 2U QSFP-DD test appliance for high-scale 400G Layer 2-3 testing, with MACsec on all ports |
Details → |
| DX3-QSFP-DD-2 |
VIAVI TestCenter dX3 DX3-QSFP-DD-2 400G 2-Port QSFP-DD Test Module
2-port QSFP-DD TestCenter test module for SPT-N12U and SPT-N4U chassis, 400G to 10G with PAM4 and NRZ encoding |
Details → |
| DX3-QSFP-DD-4 |
VIAVI TestCenter dX3 DX3-QSFP-DD-4 400G 4-Port 1U QSFP-DD Test Appliance
4-port version of the dX3 1U QSFP-DD test appliance, upgradable to 8 ports by license |
Details → |
| DX3-QSFP-DD-8 |
VIAVI TestCenter dX3 DX3-QSFP-DD-8 400G 8-Port 1U QSFP-DD Test Appliance
8-port 1U QSFP-DD Ethernet test appliance supporting 400/200/100/50G PAM4 and 100/50/40/25/10G NRZ |
Details → |
Key Features
- Complete 400G Ethernet testing across QSFP-DD interfaces
- AI/ML testing and workload traffic generation
- Integrated Layer 2–3 validation on a single platform at full line rate
- Latency, jitter, throughput and loss measurements
- Validation of 100G/200G to 400G migration across multi-vendor ecosystems
- Regression testing for software, hardware and topology changes
- PAM4 and NRZ encoding with MACsec and Auto Negotiation and Link Training on all ports of A1 and A3
- RoCEv2 and CCL support for AI infrastructure testing on the A1 appliance
- High-density 100G mode supporting 4xQSFP28 from a single QSFP-DD port
- Smart Port Technology licensing for single port and speed upgrades
- Frame time-stamp resolution of 2.5 ns
- Daisy chaining of up to 255 appliances for large density testing
- Command Sequencer visual programming and GUI to Script automation
Specifications
A1 400G 16-port Appliance
|
MSA Interface
A1-400-QD-16 |
QSFP-DD |
|---|---|
|
Operational Modes
A1-400-QD-16 |
PAM4 – 400/200/100G/50G; NRZ – 200/100/50/40/25/10G
Optional licenses may be required to support NRZ encoding |
|
Frame time-stamp resolution
A1-400-QD-16 |
2.5 ns |
|
Operating Temperature Range
A1-400-QD-16 |
41° to 86°F (5° to 30°C) ambient temperature
20% to 80% relative humidity |
|
AC Input Range
A1-400-QD-16 |
180 – 264 VAC |
|
Max Power Draw
A1-400-QD-16 |
Maximum of 4500 W |
|
Product Weight
A1-400-QD-16 |
Unit installed weight: 59 lb (26.7 kg); Shipping weight: 73 lb (33.12 kg) |
|
Product Dimensions
A1-400-QD-16 |
29.5 in (L) x 17.7 in (W) x 3.35 in (H); 74.9 cm (L) x 45 cm (W) x 8.5 cm (H) |
|
Number of Streams
A1-400-QD-16 |
Tx=32 K, Rx=32 K
@400/200/100/50/40/25/10G; TX=64 K, RX=128 K @400G with VIAVI XStream license |
|
Min/Max Frame Size (w/CRC)
A1-400-QD-16 |
60 to 16,004 |
|
Min/Max Tx Rates
A1-400-QD-16 |
1 packet per 3.43 seconds to 101% of line rate |
|
Capture Buffer Size
A1-400-QD-16 |
8 MB per port |
|
Route Insertion Table (RIT) Entries Per Port
A1-400-QD-16 |
1M 4-byte entries
For dynamic label or random IP/MAC address assignments |
|
AN/LT
A1-400-QD-16 |
AN/LT supported for all speeds including 8x50G mode
Direct Attach Copper (DAC) |
A2 400G 8- and 16-port Appliance
|
Operational Modes
A2-400-QD-8, A2-400-QD-16 |
PAM4 – 400/200/100/50G; NRZ – 200/100/50/40/25/10G |
|---|---|
|
Appliance synchronization
A2-400-QD-8, A2-400-QD-16 |
± 20 ns |
|
Operating Temperature Range
A2-400-QD-8, A2-400-QD-16 |
50° to 95°F (10° to 35°C)
When using QSFP-DD transceivers rated up to 15 W; above 15 W the maximum is 86°F (30°C); 10% to 80% relative humidity (non-condensing); minimum 41°F (5°C) |
|
AC Input Range
A2-400-QD-8 |
100 – 240 VAC
8-Port Appliance |
|
AC Input Range
A2-400-QD-16 |
208 - 240 VAC
16-Port Appliance |
|
Max Power Draw
A2-400-QD-8 |
1340 W
8-Port Appliance |
|
Max Power Draw
A2-400-QD-16 |
2400 W
16-Port Appliance |
|
Product Weight
A2-400-QD-8, A2-400-QD-16 |
Unit installed weight: 62 lb (28.2 kg); Shipping weight: 86 lb (39.1 kg) |
|
Product Dimensions
A2-400-QD-8, A2-400-QD-16 |
17.1 in W x 3.5 in H x 29.5 in L (43.4 cm x 8.9 cm x 74.9 cm) |
|
Number of Streams (400G)
A2-400-QD-8, A2-400-QD-16 |
Tx=16 K, Rx=32 K
TX = 64 K, RX = 128 K @400G with VIAVI XStream license |
|
Min/Max Frame Size (w/CRC)
A2-400-QD-8, A2-400-QD-16 |
60 to 16,004 |
|
Capture Buffer Size
A2-400-QD-8, A2-400-QD-16 |
400G: 640 KB per port; 200/100G: 512 KB per port; 50/40/25/10G: 256 KB per port |
A3 400G 4-port Appliance
|
Operational Modes
A3-400-QD-4 |
PAM4 400/200/100/50G; NRZ 200/100/50/40/25/10G
Ordering availability and support for AN/LT, 50G PAM4, and NRZ speeds will be available in upcoming software releases |
|---|---|
|
Operating Temperature Range
A3-400-QD-4 |
50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)
When using QSFP-DD transceivers rated up to 24W; above 24W the maximum is 84° F (29° C); 10% to 80% relative humidity (non-condensing); minimum 41° F (5° C) |
|
AC Input Range
A3-400-QD-4 |
100-240 VAC |
|
Max Power Draw
A3-400-QD-4 |
2100W |
|
Product Weight
A3-400-QD-4 |
Unit installed weight: 60 lb. (27.2 kg); Shipping weight: 89 lb. (40.4 kg) |
|
Product Dimensions
A3-400-QD-4 |
17.1”W x 3.5”H x 30.0”L (43.4 cm x 8.9 cm x 76.2 cm) |
|
Number of Paths/Raw Streamblocks
A3-400-QD-4 |
1024: 400G PAM4/200G PAM4/100G PAM4/200G NRZ/100G NRZ/50G NRZ/40G NRZ; 512: 50G PAM4/25G NRZ/10G NRZ |
|
Min/Max Frame Size (w/CRC)
A3-400-QD-4 |
60 to 16,383 |
|
Min/Max Tx Rates
A3-400-QD-4 |
1 packet per 1 second to 101% of line rate |
|
Capture Buffer Size
A3-400-QD-4 |
8MB per port at all speeds |
|
Route Insertion Table (RIT) Entries per Port
A3-400-QD-4 |
8M x 8 byte entries for all speeds
For dynamic label or random IP/MAC address assignments |
dX3 400G 2-port Module
|
Operational Modes
DX3-QSFP-DD-2 |
PAM4: 400/200/100/50G; NRZ: 100/50/40/25/10G |
|---|---|
|
Maximum Ports per SPT-N12U Chassis
DX3-QSFP-DD-2 |
24/48/96/192
DX3-QSFP-DD-2-825A and DX3-QSFP-DD-2-750A; DX3-QSFP-DD-2-400A: 24 |
|
Maximum Ports per SPT-N4U Chassis
DX3-QSFP-DD-2 |
4/8/16/32
DX3-QSFP-DD-2-825A and DX3-QSFP-DD-2-750A; DX3-QSFP-DD-2-400A: 4 |
|
Module Weight
DX3-QSFP-DD-2 |
3.219 kg, 5.45lbs. |
|
Module Predicted MTBF
DX3-QSFP-DD-2 |
56,330 hours of continuous operation |
|
Operating Temperature Range
DX3-QSFP-DD-2 |
41° to 95° F (5° to 35° C) ambient temperature
20% to 80% relative humidity |
|
Max Power Draw per Module
DX3-QSFP-DD-2 |
Maximum of 450W per slot |
|
Number of Streams
DX3-QSFP-DD-2 |
Tx=8k, Rx=16k
@400/200/100/50/40/25/10G |
|
Capture Buffer Size
DX3-QSFP-DD-2 |
8 MB per port |
dX3 400G 8-port Appliance
|
Operational Modes
DX3-QSFP-DD-8, DX3-QSFP-DD-4 |
PAM4 – 400/200/100/50G; NRZ – 100/50/40/25/10G |
|---|---|
|
Operating Temperature Range
DX3-QSFP-DD-8, DX3-QSFP-DD-4 |
41° to 86° F (5° to 30° C) ambient temperature
20% to 80% relative humidity |
|
Max Power Draw
DX3-QSFP-DD-8, DX3-QSFP-DD-4 |
Maximum of 1600W per rack mount |
|
Product Dimensions
DX3-QSFP-DD-8, DX3-QSFP-DD-4 |
92.62 cm L x 43.4 cm W x 4.28 cm H (1U) |
|
Number of Streams
DX3-QSFP-DD-8, DX3-QSFP-DD-4 |
Tx=8K, Rx=16K
@400/200/100/50/40/25/10G |
|
Capture Buffer Size
DX3-QSFP-DD-8, DX3-QSFP-DD-4 |
8 MB per port |
AI Testing Support
|
Port Density for AI testing
A1-400-QD-16 |
16x 400G ports/32x 200G ports/ 32x 100G PAM4 Ports |
|---|---|
|
GPU Emulation
A1-400-QD-16 |
Up to 128 GPUs emulated per port |
|
Queue Pairs
A1-400-QD-16 |
Up to 16K Queue Pairs per port
RoCEv2 profile applied per port |
|
UET support
A1-400-QD-16 |
UET is not supported on fX3, mX3, and A1 |
Applications
- AI data center fabric validation
- Data center leaf-spine fabric validation
- Data center ToR and EoR switches and fabrics
- Service provider core network testing
- 400G routing platform and backbone validation
- Cloud computing and streaming services
- Terabit and next-generation routers
- Multi-vendor interoperability and acceptance testing
- Pre-deployment and regression validation
Options & Accessories
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| A1-400-QD-16-350A | A1 16-PORT QSFP-DD 200G/100G/50G PAM4 Bundle |
| A1-400-QD-16-400A | A1 16-PORT QSFP-DD 400G PAM4 Only |
| A1-400-QD-16-550A | A1 16-PORT QSFP-DD 400G/100G/50G PAM4 Bundle |
| A1-400-QD-16-700A | A1 16-PORT QSFP-DD 400G/200G/100G PAM4 Bundle |
| A1-400-QD-16-750A | A1 16-PORT QSFP-DD 400G/200G/100G/50G PAM4 Bundle |
| A1-400-QD-16-825A | A1 16-PORT QSFP-DD 400G/200G/100G/50G/40G/25G/10G PAM4 and NRZ Bundle |
| A1-400-QD-16-T1P | A1 16-PORT QSFP-DD 400G/200G/100G/50G T1 Appliance |
| HWO-A1-400-QD-16-PORT | VIAVI A1-400-QD-16-T1P Single Port Enablement |
| HWO-A1-QSFP-DD-16-4QSFP28 | Hardware Option for A1-400-QD-16-T1P 400G PAM4 to 4x100G QSFP28 NRZ — 100G (QSFP28) high density 64x100G license (requires ACC-1067A accessory) |
| SWO-A1-400-QD-16-MACSEC | MACSEC Software on A1 16-PORT 400G Appliance |
| HWO-A1-16-CCL-16 | VIAVI CCL FOR A1-400-QD-16 — All speeds are included. 16 X 400G PAM4 or 32 X 200G PAM4 or 32 X 100G PAM4 ports total per appliance |
| HWO-A1-16-ROCE-ECN-700A | VIAVI RoCE ECN-400G/200G/100G Suite for A1-400-QD-16 — 16 X 400G PAM4 or 32 X 200G PAM4 or 32 X 100G PAM4 ports total per appliance |
| AON-A1-AI-16-700A | A1 16-Port RoCE ECN and CCL 400G/200G/100G Bundle (AION) |
| AON-A1-AI-8-700A | A1 8-Port RoCE ECN and CCL 400G/200G/100G Bundle (AION) |
| TPK-1106 | CCL Automation Benchmark Test Package — Requires RoCEv2 and CCL license. Works with A1, B2, and B3 only. |
| A2-400-QD-8-825A | A2 8-PORT QSFP-DD 400G/200G/100G/50G/40G/25G/10G PAM4 and NRZ Bundle |
| A2-400-QD-8-T1S | A2 8-PORT QSFP-DD 7-Speed T1 Appliance |
| A2-400-QD-16-825A | A2 16-PORT QSFP-DD 400G/200G/100G/50G/40G/25G/10G Bundle |
| A2-400-QD-16-T1S | A2 16-PORT QSFP-DD 7-Speed T1 Appliance |
| HWO-A2-QSFP-DD-8-4QSFP28 | Hardware Option for A2-400-QD-8-T1S 400G PAM4 to 4x100G QSFP28 NRZ |
| HWO-A2-QSFP-DD-16-4QSFP28 | Hardware Option for A2-400-QD-16-T1S 400G PAM4 to 4X100G QSFP28 NRZ |
| SWO-A2-400-QD-8-MACSEC | MACSEC Software on A2-400-QD-8-T1S Appliance |
| SWO-A2-400-QD-16-MACSEC | MACSEC Software on A2-400-QD-16-T1S Appliance |
| SWO-A2-400-QD-8-AST | Advanced Sequence Tracking 400/100G ON A2-400-QD-8-T1S |
| SWO-A2-400-QD-16-AST | Advanced Sequence Tracking 400/100G ON A2-400-QD-16-T1S |
| A3-400-QD-4-400A | A3 4-Port QSFP-DD 400G PAM4 Only |
| A3-400-QD-4-700A | A3 4-Port QSFP-DD 400G/200G/100G PAM4 Bundle |
| A3-400-QD-4-825A | A3 4-Port QSFP-DD 400G/200G/100G/50G/40G/25G/10G PAM4 & NRZ Bundle — Ordering availability in upcoming software releases |
| HWO-A3-QSFP-DD-4-4QSFP28 | Hardware Option for A3-400-QD-4-T1S 400G PAM4 to 4x100G QSFP28 NRZ |
| SWO-A3-400-QD-4-MACSEC | MACSEC Software on A3-400-QD-4-T1S Appliance |
| DX3-QSFP-DD-2-825A | dX3 400/200/100/50/40/25/10G QSFP-DD 2-Port |
| DX3-QSFP-DD-2-750A | dX3 400/200/100/50G QSFP-DD 2-Port |
| DX3-QSFP-DD-2-400A | dX3 400G QSFP-DD 2-Port |
| UPG-NRZ-DX3-400G-T2 | Factory Upgrade NRZ 400G QSFP-DD 2-Port — Requires 8x50G-AN/LT-compatible hardware |
| ACC-1067 | Active Copper Breakout QSFP-DD to 4XQSFP28 3M — High density 100G QSFP28, also requires BPK-1378 QSFP-DD to 4xQSFP28 chassis license |
| SPT-N12U-110 | N12U chassis and controller with 110VAC power supplies |
| SPT-N12U-220 | N12U chassis and controller with 220VAC power supplies |
| SPT-N12U-220-LC | N12U-LC chassis and controller with 220VAC power supplies |
| SPT-N4U-110 | N4U chassis and controller with 110VAC power supplies |
| SPT-N4U-220 | N4U chassis and controller with 220VAC power supplies |
| DX3-QSFP-DD-8-825A | dX3 400G 8-port Appliance, PAM4 – 400/200/100/50G; NRZ – 100/50/40/25/10G |
| DX3-QSFP-DD-8-400A | dX3 400G 8-port Appliance, 400G only |
| DX3-QSFP-DD-4-825A | dX3 400G 4-port Appliance, PAM4 – 400/200/100/50G; NRZ – 100/50/40/25/10G |
| DX3-QSFP-DD-4-400A | dX3 400G 4-port Appliance, 400G only |
Documents & Resources
TestCenter AI Data Center Test Solution
datasheet · PDF
A1 16-port 400G 2U QSFP-DD Tester
datasheet · PDF
A2 8- and 16-port 400G 2U QSFP-DD Tester
datasheet · PDF
A3 400G 4-port Appliance
datasheet · PDF
DX3 2-Port 400G QSFP-DD Module
datasheet · PDF
DX3 8-Port 400G 1U QSFP-DD Tester
datasheet · PDF
PX3 2-Port 400G QSFP-DD Module
datasheet · PDF
PX3 8-Port 400G 1U QSFP-DD Tester
datasheet · PDF
N12U Mainframe Chassis
datasheet · PDF
N4U Compact Chassis
datasheet · PDF
TestCenter Platforms
brochure · PDF
High-Speed Ethernet Product Portfolio
brochure · PDF
Testing the AI Fabric
brochure
AI Workload Traffic Emulation
other
AI/ML Data Center Network Validation
app note · PDF
Bracing for Impact: How AI Will Transform Digital Industries
app note
The Future of High-Speed Ethernet across Data Center, Telecom, and Enterprise Networking
app note
Validating High-Speed Ethernet for Next-Generation AI Networking
app note · PDF