VIAVI TestCenter 400G QSFP-DD test appliance
VIAVI / TestCenter 400G / 400G
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

MSA interface
QSFP-DD
Operational modes
PAM4 – 400/200/100/50G; NRZ – 200/100/50/40/25/10G
Per-port configurations
PAM4: 1x400G, 2x200G, 4x100G, 8x50G; NRZ: 1x200G, 2x100G, 4x50G, 2x40G, 8x25G, 8x10G
High-density 100G mode
64x100G
Datasheet

Overview

The VIAVI A2 400G Appliance (A2-400-QD-16) is a 2U rack-mountable test platform with 16 QSFP-DD ports. Each port can be configured for 400/200/100/50G speeds with PAM4 encoding or 200/100/50/40/25/10G speeds with NRZ encoding. Auto-Negotiation and Link Training are supported in all speed modes.

The appliance supports VIAVI Smart Port Technology, a licensed feature that adds single ports and speeds as needed. A high-density 100G option breaks out each QSFP-DD port into 4xQSFP28, for up to 64x100G ports from one 2U unit.

Tests are built and run in TestCenter. Health Indicator views and Time Series charts support debugging. Automation is available through Command Sequencer visual programming and GUI to Script. Up to 255 appliances can be synchronized without external timing devices.

Key Features

  • Complete 400G Ethernet testing across QSFP-DD interfaces
  • Integrated Layer 2–3 validation on a single platform at full line rate
  • Precise, repeatable 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
  • 16 QSFP-DD ports in a 2U rack-mountable appliance
  • Each port supports PAM4 1x400G, 2x200G, 4x100G, 8x50G
  • Each port supports NRZ 1x200G, 2x100G, 4x50G, 2x40G, 8x25G, 8x10G
  • Single port upgrades available
  • High-density 64xQSFP28 port option (requires external accessory and license)
  • Ethernet FEC, Auto Negotiation and Link Training for all supported speeds and full breakouts
  • MACsec supported
  • Protocol testing for L2/3 routing/switching and data center test cases

Specifications

General
MSA interface QSFP-DD
Operational modes PAM4 – 400/200/100/50G; NRZ – 200/100/50/40/25/10G
Per-port configurations PAM4: 1x400G, 2x200G, 4x100G, 8x50G; NRZ: 1x200G, 2x100G, 4x50G, 2x40G, 8x25G, 8x10G
High-density 100G mode 64x100G
4xQSFP28 from a single QSFP-DD port; requires license and HWO-A2-QSFP-DD-16-4QSFP28
Timing and Synchronization
Line clocking Stratum-3 rated oscillator is the default time source
Transmit line clock ± < 1 PPM on initial shipment; accurate to ± 4.6 PPM 15 years of operation
Frame time-stamp resolution 2.5 ns
Appliance synchronization ± 20 ns
VIAVI-patented self-calibrating inter-chassis timing chain
Daisy chain Up to 255 appliances
External time sources GPS and CDMA; IEEE 1588v2 and NTP; TIA/EIA-95B
Layer 2-3 Generator and Analyzer
Number of streams (Tx/Rx) 400G: Tx=16 K, Rx=32 K; 200G: Tx=8 K, Rx=16 K; 100G: Tx=4 K, Rx=8 K; 50G/40G/25G/10G: Tx=2 K, Rx=4 K
Up to TX = 64 K, RX = 128 K @400G and TX = 32 K, RX = 32 K @100G with VIAVI XStream license
Number of paths/raw streamblocks 255 modifiers for 400/200/100G, and 127 modifiers for 50/40/25/10G
511 @400/100G with VIAVI XStream license
Frame transmit modes Port-based (rate per port), Stream-based (rate per stream), Burst, Timed, Step Transmission, and 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
Flow control Priority Flow Control
Transmit timestamp resolution 2.5 ns
With intra-chassis and inter-chassis synchronization
Supported encapsulations Layer 2: Ethernet II, 802.1Q, 802.1ad, FCoE; Layer 3/4: IPv4, IPv6, TCP, UDP
Capture buffer size 400G: 640 KB per port; 200/100G: 512 KB per port; 50/40/25/10G: 256 KB per port
Latency modes LIFO, LILO, FIFO or FILO
Benchmark tests latency calculation methods
Route Insertion Table (RIT) entries per port 400/200G: 128 k; 100G: 64 k; 50/40/25/10G: 32 k
Entries for dynamic label or random IP/MAC address assignments
RIT or list VFD entries per stream 8 RIT insertions per stream and 4 VFD insertions per stream
Layer 1
QSFP/QSFP-DD interconnects CR, SR, LR, FR, DR, PSM4, ZR, and ZR+ at multi-rate (400/200/100/50/40/25/10G)
Consult the factory for transceivers that consume more than 20 watts
PAM4 FEC RS-544 (KP4) FEC all speeds
NRZ FEC Clause 74 BASE-R FEC, Clause 91 RS-FEC, and Clause 108 RS-FEC
NRZ support varies by module speed mode and license
AN/LT (enable/disable) AN/LT supported for all speed modes
Layer-1 debug tools Tx Emphasis settings, FEC Counters, 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
Physical and Environmental
Operating temperature range 50° to 95°F (10° to 35°C)
With QSFP-DD transceivers rated up to 15 W; above 15 W the maximum is 86°F (30°C); minimum operating temperature 41°F (5°C)
Relative humidity 10% to 80% relative humidity (non-condensing)
AC input range 208 - 240 VAC
16-Port Appliance
Max power draw 2400 W
16-Port Appliance
Unit installed weight 62 lb (28.2 kg)
Shipping weight 86 lb (39.1 kg)
Dimensions 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)

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

Applications

  • Data center fabric validation
  • Service provider and core network testing
  • Interoperability and acceptance testing
  • Pre-deployment and regression validation
  • Cloud computing and streaming services
  • Data center ToR and EoR switches and fabrics
  • Next-generation routers and switches

Options & Accessories

Option Description
A2-400-QD-16-350A A2 16-PORT QSFP-DD 200G/100G/50G Bundle
A2-400-QD-16-400A A2 16-PORT QSFP-DD 400G Only
A2-400-QD-16-550A A2 16-PORT QSFP-DD 400G/100G/50G Bundle
A2-400-QD-16-700A A2 16-PORT QSFP-DD 400G/200G/100G Bundle
A2-400-QD-16-750A A2 16-PORT QSFP-DD 400G/200G/100G/50G Bundle
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-A2-400-QD-16-50G 50G PAM4 Hardware Speed Option for A2-400-QD-16-T1S
HWO-A2-400-QD-16-100G 100G PAM4 Hardware Speed Option for A2-400-QD-16-T1S
HWO-A2-400-QD-16-200G 200G PAM4 Hardware Speed Option for A2-400-QD-16-T1S
HWO-A2-400-QD-16-400G 400G PAM4 Hardware Speed Option for A2-400-QD-16-T1S
HWO-A2-400-QD-16-NRZ10G 10G NRZ Hardware Speed Option for A2-400-QD-16-T1S
HWO-A2-400-QD-16-NRZ25G 25G NRZ Hardware Speed Option for A2-400-QD-16-T1S
HWO-A2-400-QD-16-NRZ40G 40G NRZ Hardware Speed Option for A2-400-QD-16-T1S
HWO-A2-400-QD-16-NRZ50G 50G NRZ Hardware Speed Option for A2-400-QD-16-T1S
HWO-A2-400-QD-16-NRZ100G 100G NRZ Hardware Speed Option for A2-400-QD-16-T1S
HWO-A2-400-QD-16-NRZ200G 200G NRZ Hardware Speed Option for A2-400-QD-16-T1S
HWO-A2-400-QD-16-Port A2 QSFP-DD-16P Single Port Enablement
HWO-A2-QSFP-DD-16-4QSFP28 Hardware Option for A2-400-QD-16-T1S 400G PAM4 to 4X100G QSFP28 NRZ
SWO-A2-400-QD-16-MACSEC MACSEC Software on A2-400-QD-16-T1S Appliance
SWO-A2-400-QD-16-AST Advanced Sequence Tracking 400/100G ON A2-400-QD-16-T1S

Documents & Resources

A2 8- and 16-port 400G 2U QSFP-DD Tester
datasheet · PDF
TestCenter Platforms
brochure · PDF
High-Speed Ethernet Product Portfolio
brochure · PDF
TestCenter AI Data Center Test Solution
datasheet · 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