Interconnect and Network Performance Tester 1600GE

Interconnect and Network Performance Tester 1600GE

Solution Briefs

The Interconnect and Network Performance Tester 1600GE (INPT-1600GE) is a new 1.6 Terabit Ethernet (1.6T) hardware test platform for traffic generation and analysis. It tests reliability, stability, performance, and interoperability of a broad range of devices and interconnects that use 212Gb/s electrical lane interfaces. This includes a broad range of silicon chips, optical transceivers, active optical and copper cables, and networking equipment.
 

The platform can facilitate high power consumption optical transceivers by delivering up to 40 watts of power and cooling per port.


The INPT-1600GE, with the new Interconnect Test System software (ITS), delivers a holistic solution that organizes, stores, and uses data intelligently to automate interconnect validation in high-speed Ethernet networks and AI data centers.

 

The rapid advancement of AI can strain data centers, making efficient scaling and optimization crucial. Deploying 800GE and 1.6T Ethernet solutions helps mitigate infrastructure bottlenecks. Validating high-speed interconnects and realistically emulating complex AI workloads with advanced test tools is essential for ensuring reliable performance.

 

For decades, validating network interconnect performance was a manual, time-consuming process with limited or no automation and required advanced programming skills to write scripts. That process lacked a centralized system to organize and store interconnect data and reports, making tracking and replicating tests and configurations difficult and time consuming. With the increased diversity and scale of AI and data center interconnects, these traditional test methods cannot accurately predict and measure the reliability of today’s complex production networks.

 

Keysight’s Interconnect Test System (ITS) software that runs on the hardware platform addresses these challenges, making it easier to qualify and validate interconnect performance. ITS, an advanced, cohesive software solution is designed to validate AI infrastructure, network components, and data center interconnects from 200GE to 1600GE The ITS software runs on both the 800GE and new 1600GE INPT hardware platforms.
 

Operators can deploy a versatile high-speed Ethernet platform to increase test plan coverage, selecting from a benchtop unit or rackmount chassis.
 

The benchtop Unit offers two OSFP1600 front panel ports in a portable, lightweight, and office-quiet form factor. This model enables manufacturers of 1.6T silicon chips, optical transceivers, and cables to validate interconnection media for data center and AI network infrastructures.
 

The rackmount model supports regression test beds to validate released products as firmware and software updates are applied to the ASICs, switches and routers. This chassis is best suited for manufacturers of 1.6T switch/router ASICs and networking equipment to help them meet the extensive test requirements of AI data centers.
 

Both models support 1x1600GE, 2x800GE, 4x400GE, and 8x200GE configurations, while the rackmount model also supports high port count 1600GE test beds, up to 32x1600GE ports.

 

The INPT-1600GE platform also enables users to:

  • Drive faster innovation by empowering manufacturers and operators to run more tests simultaneously with the platform’s multi-user capability.
  • Accelerate the validation process, increasing test case throughput to ensure faster deployment and improved reliability of network equipment and AI infrastructure.
  • Optimize interconnect performance with Keysight’s traditional Layer 1 Bit Error Rate Testing (BERT) and BERT Inferred FEC (BIF).
  • Provide additional lower layer test capabilities for the Physical Coding Sublayer (PCS), Forward Error Correction (FEC), and Frame Loss Ratio (FLR) validations, ensuring interconnects are ready for production networks.
  • Address lab test beds for Layer 2 and Layer 3 RFC benchmarks, network, and internetworking protocol emulation for scale and performance validation (with the rackmount chassis).
  • Use extensive Common Management Interface Specification (CMIS) features to enable efficient read/write configuration and reporting tasks. The platform automatically detects Application Selection Code settings and monitors digital optical signals to ensure optimal performance and easier management.
  • Automate, realistically emulate, and validate AI and machine learning workloads with Keysight’s AI Data Center Builder software.
  • Provide fast, reliable, scalable bench marking and performance testing, enabling operators to gain deep insights into collective communication performance.
  • Utilize Keysight’s IxNetwork software with RoCEv2 transport protocol with Data Center Quantized Congestion Notification (DCQCN) congestion control and Priority Flow Control (PFC).
  • Provide a scalable and cost-effective solution to validate data plane traffic management effectiveness in AI clusters, and to optimize network fabric performance.
  • Deliver a comprehensive set of patented tools and measurements with the ITS software. ITS enables users to rapidly build and automate test suites to qualify and benchmark the performance of various 800GE and 1600GE high-speed interconnects.
  • Reduce GPU wait time. lower latency and increase data throughput.
  • Decrease training time and time needed to create functional Large Language Models (LLMs).