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.

MSA Interface: QSFP-DD
Ports: 16x 400G ports per 2U high appliance
Operational Modes: PAM4 – 400/200/100G/50G; NRZ – 200/100/50/40/25/10G
Per-port PAM4 breakouts: 1x400G, 2x200G, 4x100G, 8x50G

Datasheet

Overview

The VIAVI TestCenter A1 400G 16-port Appliance (A1-400-QD-16) is a 2U rack-mountable Ethernet test platform with 16 QSFP-DD ports. Each port can be configured for PAM4 operation at 400G, 200G, 100G or 50G and, with the corresponding licenses, for NRZ operation at 200G, 100G, 50G, 40G, 25G or 10G, giving seven speeds on one platform. Auto Negotiation and Link Training are supported for all speeds and breakouts, including 8x50G.

The appliance uses VIAVI Smart Port Technology, a licensed feature that allows single-port and speed upgrades after purchase. A high-density 100G mode supports 4xQSFP28 from a single QSFP-DD port, for a maximum of 64x100G ports from one 2U unit when the external accessory and license are added. MACsec and XStream enhanced-scale software options are available.

AI data center testing

The A1-400-QD-16 supports RoCEv2 and Collective Communication Library (CCL) traffic emulation for AI fabric validation. In the TestCenter AI Data Center Test Solution it provides 16x 400G, 32x 200G or 32x 100G PAM4 ports, emulates up to 128 GPUs per port and supports per-port user reservation so ports can be used in single or multiple concurrent test sessions. Ports can also be used for regular Layer 2-3 testing. Ultra Ethernet Transport (UET) is not supported on the A1.

Software and automation

The appliance runs with the TestCenter Layer 2-3 generator and analyzer, which provides per-stream and per-port real-time statistics, packet capture with protocol and byte-offset filters, user-definable Health Indicator views and Time Series charts overlaid with events. Tests can be automated with Command Sequencer visual programming, GUI to Script, TCL and REST APIs, and exported for headless command-line execution.

Key Features

16x 400G QSFP-DD ports per 2U high appliance
Each port supports PAM4 1x400G, 2x200G, 4x100G and 8x50G
Each port supports NRZ 1x200G, 2x100G, 4x50G, 2x40G, 8x25G and 8x10G (optional licenses may be required)
PAM4 and NRZ solution in one platform
Smart Port Technology: licensed single port and speed upgrades
High density 64xQSFP28 port option (requires external accessory and license)
Ethernet FEC, Auto Negotiation and Link Training for all supported speeds and full breakouts including 8x50G AN/LT
RoCEv2 and CCL support for AI infrastructure high-scale testing
Up to 128 GPUs emulated per port for AI workload testing
Per-port user reservation for single or multiple concurrent test sessions
Protocol testing for L2/3 routing/switching and data center test cases
MACsec software option
XStream Mode raises traffic generation and protocol scale (Tx 64 K / Rx 128 K streams at 400G)
Stratum-3 rated oscillator with 2.5 ns frame time-stamp resolution
Self-calibrating inter-chassis timing chain, daisy chain up to 255 appliances
User definable Health Indicator views for real-time health monitoring and error isolation
Customizable Time Series charts overlaid with Events
Interesting streams real-time results data mining
Command Sequencer (Visual Programming) and GUI to Script automation
Automated test cases can be exported for headless command-line execution
Trade-in programs available for upgrading existing hardware to AN/LT and NRZ encoding

Specifications

Interface

MSA Interface	QSFP-DD
Ports	16x 400G ports per 2U high appliance
Operational Modes	PAM4 – 400/200/100G/50G; NRZ – 200/100/50/40/25/10G
Per-port PAM4 breakouts	1x400G, 2x200G, 4x100G, 8x50G
Per-port NRZ breakouts	1x200G, 2x100G, 4x50G, 2x40G, 8x25G, 8x10G Optional licenses may be required to support NRZ encoding
High-density 100G mode	4xQSFP28 from a single QSFP-DD port achieving a maximum of 64x100G ports from a single 2U platform Requires external accessory (ACC-1067A) and license
Form factor	2U rack mountable appliance

Timing and Synchronization

Line Clocking	Stratum-3 rated oscillator is the default time source. Transmit line clock is at the precise nominal Ethernet rate ± < 1 PPM on initial shipment. Accurate to ± 4.6 PPM 15 years of operation
Frame time-stamp resolution	2.5 ns
External time sources	GPS and CDMA-based; IEEE 1588v2 and NTP packet-based; TIA/EIA-95B-based
Appliance Time Synchronization	VIAVI-patented self-calibrating inter-chassis timing chain using dedicated port on chassis control; appliance delivers precise synchronization ± 20 ns Printed as '± 20B ns' in the A1 datasheet; the A2, A3 and dX3 datasheets state ± 20 ns for the same timing chain
Daisy chain	Ability to daisy chain up to 255 appliances for large density testing
Transmit Timestamp Resolution	2.5 ns Tx timestamp resolution with intra-chassis and inter-chassis synchronization

Layer 2-3 Generator and Analyzer

Number of Streams	Stats/Streams @400/200/100/50/40/25/10G: Tx=32 K, Rx=32 K TOP to TX=64 K, RX=128 K @400G with VIAVI XStream license; stream fields can be varied to create billions of flows
Stats per Stream	Tx Count (frames), Rx Count (frames), Tx Rate (fps), Rx Rate (fps), Tx Rate (bps), Rx Rate (bps), Rx Sig Count (Frames), Avg Latency (µs), Min Latency (µs), Max Latency (µs)
Number of Paths/Raw Streamblocks	255 when using list modifiers 511 @400G with VIAVI XStream license
Frame Transmit Modes	Port based (rate per port), stream based (rate per stream), burst, timed, step transmission, manual scheduler mode, random frame size with unique seed
Min/Max Frame Size (w/CRC)	60 to 16,004
Min/Max Tx Rates	1 packet per 3.43 seconds to 101% of line rate
Real-time Tx Stream Adjustments	Change rate and frame length settings without stopping the generator or analyzer
Per-stream Statistics Analyzed in Real Time	Tx and Rx frame counts and rates; Tx and Rx Layer 1 byte counts and rates; Out of sequence errors; FCS errors and rate; Min, Max and Average Latency (32K streams); Real Time Dropped Frame count; Adv Seq Stats
Per-port Statistics Analyzed in Real Time	Tx and Rx frame counts and rates; Tx and Rx Layer 1 byte counts and rates; Out of sequence errors; PRBS errors; FCS errors and rate
Flow Control	Support Priority Flow Control
Supported Encapsulations	Layer 2: Ethernet II, 802.1Q, 802.1ad, FCoE; Layer 3/4: IPv4, IPv6, TCP, UDP
Supported Tx Signature Capability	Fully compatible with VIAVI hardware; contains sequence number and highly accurate timestamp
Capture Buffer Size	8 MB per port
Capture Buffer Controls	Filter by protocol fields, filter by byte offset and range; store slices or full-frames; store signature or all frames; store tx/rx control plane with data plane; real-time mode for control plane traffic; wrap or stop buffer at end. User defined pattern definitions can logically combine 8 filters of up to 32 total bytes. Pre-defined events: FCS, PRBS, IPv4 checksum, TCP/UDP/IGMP checksum, and sequence errors; undersize, oversize, jumbo, and user-defined frame length; IPv4, IPv6, TCP, UDP and IGMP packets; test signature present and test stream ID match Each event can be independently set to ignore, include or exclude. Supports UDC (user defined counters), capture byte offset mode, capture pattern matching
Latency Modes	Benchmark tests support LIFO, LILO, FIFO or FILO latency calculation methods
Route Insertion Table (RIT) Entries Per Port	1M 4-byte entries for dynamic label or random IP/MAC address assignments
RIT or List VFD Entries Per Stream	8 RIT insertions per stream and 6 VFD insertions per stream

Layer 1 Functionality

QSFP/QSFP-DD Interconnects	CR, SR, LR, FR, DR, PSM4, ZR, and ZR+ at multi-rate (400/200/100/50/40/25/10G) For transceivers that consume more than 20 watts of power, consult the factory before using these optics in the system
PAM4 media support – 400G	400GBASE-SR8, 400GBASE-DR4, 400GBASE-FR4/FR8, 400GBASE-LR4/LR8, 400GBASE-ZR and ZR+ plus additional MSA PMDs PAM4 support varies by speed mode
PAM4 media support – 200G	200GBASE-SR4, 200GBASE-DR4 200GBASE-FR4/LR4, plus additional MSA PMDs
PAM4 media support – 100G	100GBASE-CR2 (Active Electrical Copper Cable)
PAM4 FEC	RS-544 (KP4) FEC all speeds
PAM4 breakouts	Direct Access Copper and Active Optical Cable breakouts
NRZ media support – 200G	200GBASE-SR8 NRZ support varies by module speed mode and license
NRZ media support – 100G	100GBASE-SR4, 100GBASE-CR4, 100GBASE-LR4, 100GBASE-DR, 100GBASE-FR1, 100GBASE-LR1 plus additional MSA PMDs
NRZ media support – 50G	25/50G Consortium 50GBASE-CR2
NRZ media support – 40G	40GBASE-SR4, 40GBASE-CR4, 40GBASE-LR4
NRZ media support – 25G	802.3by 25GBASE-CR, 25GBASE-CRS, 25GBASE-SR
NRZ media support – 10G	10GBASE-SR, 10G Copper DAC
NRZ breakout cables	QSFP28 to SFP28 breakout cable options
NRZ FEC options	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
AN/LT (Enable/Disable)	Direct Attach Copper (DAC), AN/LT supported for all speeds including 8x50G mode
Layer-1 Debug Tools and Features	Tx Emphasis settings, Rx Eye view, FEC Counters, PRBS Gen/Check, Front-end L1 Summary Status, Transceiver management interface access, PCS monitoring, PCS skew, FEC error injection, PCS random error injection, L1 Transceiver Auto Tune Command

AI Data Center Testing

Port Density for AI testing	16x 400G ports/32x 200G ports/32x 100G PAM4 Ports
RoCEv2 Supported	Yes
CCL Configuration	Yes
GPU Emulation	Up to 128 GPUs emulated per port
User Reservation	Per-port user reservation
Queue Pairs	Up to 16K Queue Pairs per port RoCEv2 configuration of the TestCenter AI Data Center Test Solution; RC, UD, and UC transport mode; DCQCN congestion control
UET (Ultra Ethernet Transport)	Not supported on A1 CCL is not supported on fX3 and mX3 / UET is not supported on fX3, mX3, and A1

Environmental

Operating Temperature Range	41° to 86°F (5° to 30°C) ambient temperature
Relative Humidity	20% to 80%

Power

AC Input Range	180 – 264 VAC
Max Power Draw	Maximum of 4500 W

Physical

Unit installed weight	59 lb (26.7 kg)
Shipping weight	73 lb (33.12 kg)
Product Dimensions	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)

Workstation Requirements

GUI operation	Windows-based workstation with 10/100/1000 MB Ethernet NIC; mouse and color monitor required
Scripting	Linux- or Windows-based workstation
REST API support	Mac-, Linux-, or Windows-based workstation

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

Applications

Cloud computing and streaming services
Data center ToR and EoR switches and fabrics
AI data center fabric validation with RoCEv2 and CCL workloads
Terabit core routers
Leaf-spine architecture and high-capacity switching fabric validation
Multi-vendor interoperability and acceptance testing
100G/200G to 400G migration validation
Pre-deployment and regression validation
Lab, manufacturing and live network testing

Options & Accessories

Option	Description
A1-400-QD-16-350A	A1 16-PORT QSFP-DD 200G/100G/50G PAM4 Bundle — Base package bundle
A1-400-QD-16-400A	A1 16-PORT QSFP-DD 400G PAM4 Only — Base package bundle
A1-400-QD-16-550A	A1 16-PORT QSFP-DD 400G/100G/50G PAM4 Bundle — Base package bundle
A1-400-QD-16-700A	A1 16-PORT QSFP-DD 400G/200G/100G PAM4 Bundle — Base package bundle
A1-400-QD-16-750A	A1 16-PORT QSFP-DD 400G/200G/100G/50G PAM4 Bundle — Base package bundle
A1-400-QD-16-825A	A1 16-PORT QSFP-DD 400G/200G/100G/50G/40G/25G/10G PAM4 and NRZ Bundle — Base package bundle
A1-400-QD-16-T1P	A1 16-PORT QSFP-DD 400G/200G/100G/50G T1 Appliance — Base package bundle
HWO-A1-400-QD-16-100G	100G PAM4 Hardware Speed Option for A1-400-QD-16-T1P — Hardware upgrade, available as add on after purchase of initial base package bundle
HWO-A1-400-QD-16-200G	200G PAM4 Hardware Speed Option for A1-400-QD-16-T1P — Hardware upgrade
HWO-A1-400-QD-16-400G	400G PAM4 Hardware Speed Option for A1-400-QD-16-T1P — Hardware upgrade
HWO-A1-400-QD-16-50G	50G PAM4 Hardware Speed Option for A1-400-QD-16-T1P — Hardware upgrade
HWO-A1-400-QD-16-NRZ100G	100G NRZ Hardware Speed Option for A1-400-QD-16-T1P — Hardware upgrade
HWO-A1-400-QD-16-NRZ10G	10G NRZ Hardware Speed Option for A1-400-QD-16-T1P — Hardware upgrade
HWO-A1-400-QD-16-NRZ200G	200G NRZ Hardware Speed Option for A1-400-QD-16-T1P — Hardware upgrade
HWO-A1-400-QD-16-NRZ25G	25G NRZ Hardware Speed Option for A1-400-QD-16-T1P — Hardware upgrade
HWO-A1-400-QD-16-NRZ40G	40G NRZ Hardware Speed Option for A1-400-QD-16-T1P — Hardware upgrade
HWO-A1-400-QD-16-NRZ50G	50G NRZ Hardware Speed Option for A1-400-QD-16-T1P — Hardware upgrade
HWO-A1-400-QD-16-PORT	VIAVI A1-400-QD-16-T1P Single Port Enablement — Hardware upgrade
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)
HWO-A1-400-QD-16-100G-XS	4X100G XStream Enhanced Scale on A1-400-QD-16-T1P — Software upgrade
HWO-A1-400-QD-16-400G-XS	400G XStream Enhanced Scale on A1-400-QD-16-T1P — Software upgrade
SWO-A1-400-QD-16-MACSEC	MACSEC Software on A1 16-PORT 400G Appliance — Software upgrade
HWO-A1-16-ROCE-ECN-400-16	VIAVI RoCE ECN-400G for A1-400-QD-16 — 16 X 400G PAM4 ports total per appliance
HWO-A1-16-ROCE-ECN-200-32	VIAVI RoCE ECN-200G for A1-400-QD-16 — 32 X 200G PAM4 ports total per appliance
HWO-A1-16-ROCE-ECN-100-32	VIAVI RoCE ECN-100G for A1-400-QD-16 — 32 X 100G PAM4 ports total per appliance
HWO-A1-16-ROCE-ECN-500A	VIAVI RoCE ECN-400G/100G Suite for A1-400-QD-16 — 16 X 400G PAM4 or 32 X 100G PAM4 ports total per appliance
HWO-A1-16-ROCE-ECN-600A	VIAVI RoCE ECN-400G/200G Suite for A1-400-QD-16 — 16 X 400G PAM4 or 32 X 200G 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
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-A1-8-ROCE-ECN-400-8	VIAVI RoCE ECN-400G for A1-400-QD-16 (8 ports) — 8 X 400G PAM4 ports total per appliance
HWO-A1-8-ROCE-ECN-200-16	VIAVI RoCE ECN-200G for A1-400-QD-16 (8 ports) — 16 X 200G PAM4 ports total per appliance
HWO-A1-8-ROCE-ECN-100-16	VIAVI RoCE ECN-100G for A1-400-QD-16 (8 ports) — 16 X 100G PAM4 ports total per appliance
HWO-A1-8-ROCE-ECN-500A	VIAVI RoCE ECN-400G/100G Suite for A1-400-QD-16 (8 ports) — 8 X 400G PAM4 or 16 X 100G PAM4 ports total per appliance
HWO-A1-8-ROCE-ECN-600A	VIAVI RoCE ECN-400G/200G Suite for A1-400-QD-16 (8 ports) — 8 X 400G PAM4 or 16 X 200G PAM4 ports total per appliance
HWO-A1-8-ROCE-ECN-700A	VIAVI RoCE ECN-400G/200G/100G Suite for A1-400-QD-16 (8 ports) — 8 X 400G PAM4 or 16 X 200G PAM4 or 16 X 100G PAM4 ports total per appliance
HWO-A1-8-CCL-8	VIAVI CCL for A1-400-QD-16 (8 ports) — All speeds are included. 8 X 400G PAM4 or 16 X 200G PAM4 or 16 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.
AON-PB-AI	AION AI Basic Bundle — Includes TPK-1106 CCL Automation benchmark test package. Requires AON-A1-AI, AON-B2-AI or AON-B3-AI which are sold separately.