Deploying NBASE-TTM 2.5G/5GBASE-T Technologies

George Zimmerman, Ph.D.CME ConsultingBoard of DirectorsNBASE-T Alliance

Peter JonesCisco SystemsChairmanNBASE-T Alliance

Masood ShariffCommScopeParticipantNBASE-T Alliance

Dan PayerleIDEAL NetworksParticipantNBASE-T Alliance

Cat 5e

Cat 6

Cat 6a

2016 Ethernet Alliance BASE-T Roadmap

The Applications Spaces of BASE-T

www.ethernetalliance.org 3

Data Rate

NBASE-T and 802.3bz Technology – Based on 10GBASE-T

• PAM-16 with the same LDPC code for good performance– Minor modifications give better impulse noise performance– Upper frequency of ½ (5G) and ¼ (2.5G) that of 10GBASE-T– Proven 10GBASE-T startup sequence for good interoperability

• NBASE-T and 802.3bz expected to be interoperable with each other– Auto Negotiation enables multi-mode PHY operation– 802.3bz PHY signaling is identical to NBASE-T

• Supports PoE!

2.5G on Cat 5e: 10GBASE-T technology makes it feasible

• Assume: 2.5Gbps rates use <= 100Mbps of bandwidth– Cat 5e specifies that frequency span -> Transmission at 2.5Gbps requires 6.25bits/sec/Hz

• Assume: Link supports 1000BASE-T operation– 1000BASE-T requires 4 bits/sec/Hz -> Difference is 2.25bits/sec/Hz = 6.75 dB– Signaling at 200 MBaud instead of 125 MBaud loses at most 2 dB

• System parameters for 1000BASE-T:– Coding gain of 1000BASE-T was 6dB (asymptotic, actual gain is ~4.75 dB)– 1000BASE-T design points 10.5 dB design margin w/o FEXT (or with FEXT cancellation)

• See grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/3/tutorial/march98/mick_170398.pdf (6.5 bit-equivalent ADC)• Drops to 8.2 dB with Clause 40A ANEXT limit levels

• Need to recover up to 8.75 dB relative to 1000BASE-T design point– ALMOST within the target margin for implementation losses.

What’s a “Use Case”?

• Designers of NBASE-T recognized many links would support rates above 1Gbps– Wireless Access Points were installed in links

that were fanned out, allowing less than worst-case alien crosstalk

• Alien crosstalk impacts the speed you can get above 1Gbps– Cat 5e and Cat 6 are not specified for alien

crosstalk

IEEE 802.3bz or NBASE-T?

• Expect to be interoperable with each other, so how do they differ?• NBASE-T adds “downshift” to 802.3bz

– Normal Auto Negotiation selects the fastest rate both PHYs support, irrespective of the cabling, noise or environment

– But, in 2.5G/5GBASE-T, the speed you get varies with the cabling configuration and other links crosstalking

– So... “downshift” automatically shifts the rate based on the channel noise• Similar to Wi-Fi rate adaptation

• Users always get a reliable link

Source: NBASE-T AllianceNBASE-T & IEEE - Timeline of Success

PSOCSR 2001 8

What you will hear:

• Peter Jones will discuss a systems vendors’ perspective– Why you want to use it, what to look for

• Masood Shariff will discuss the cabling perspective– TIA developments, more on use cases and Cat 5e vs Cat 6 vs Cat 6a

performance

• Dan Payerle will discuss testing issues for 2.5G/5GBASE-T performance

NBASE-T™ 2.5GBASE-T/5GBASE-T Where and WhyPeter JonesPrincipal Engineer – Cisco SystemsChairman – NBASE-T Alliance

Access SwitchMostly 1000BASE‐T portsPoE PSE (15/30/60W, 4PPoE)

CablingCat 5e/6/6A up to 100MNew installs using Cat 6A for 10+yr life

Access PointConnects 802.11 to 802.3PoE PD (Powered Device)Footprint sensitive (e.g. power, heat, etc.)11acWave 2 drives backhaul traffic > 1 Gb/s.No easy way to get above 1Gb/s.

1000BASE-TPower over Ethernet

802.3 Ethernet and 802.11 WLAN –Deployments Today

11

• Between 2003 to 2014 ~70 billion metersof Cat 5e and Cat 6 cabling were sold….– ~90% of installed base– Enormous network infrastructure investment

• Existing specifications support 1Gb/s over this cable, but faster data rates are possible

• BASE-T allows incremental upgrade

– Lets get more value from this investment! – What can we enable?

Why 2.5G and 5G BASE-T?

10 meters of cablingfor every man, woman, and child on Earth …

Installed Base: Outlets by Cable Type Source: BSRIA December 14

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2003 2007 2011 2015Cat 5e outlets Cat 6 outlets Cat 6a outlets Cat 7 outlets

2014Cat 5e Outlets 539 MCat 6 Outlets 743 MCat 6a Outlets 111 MCat 7 Outlets 10 MTotal 1.4 B

• NBASE-T Alliance (www.nbaset.org/)– Vendor alliance for 2.5G/5G BASE-T with 45+ participant

companies.

• Who is in the Alliance?– Components, silicon, systems, cabling, test, etc.

• Alliance role?– Enable widespread deployment, evolve specifications,

facilitate interoperability.

Alliance Strength - Full Ecosystem

NBASE-T AllianceSM - Overview

Potential ApplicationsENTERPRISE

Indoor/Outdoor Access PointsWorkstations, Desktops, NotebooksEnterprise NAS Professional Audio Video Systems and Video Content Editing Medical Imaging Systems

HOME

Access Points & RoutersDesktops, NotebooksNASGaming ComputersSmall Cells

INDUSTRIAL

Industrial/Outdoor Access PointsWorkstationsMachine Vision CamerasCompact Switches

SERVICE PROVIDERS

DOCSIS Home GatewaysPON ONT GatewaysSmall Cells

NBASE-T Alliance at Interop 2016 Las Vegas

16PSOCSR 2001

802.11ac and 2.5G/5G BASE-T forecastsThere is a rapid transition from 11n to 11acWave 2 starts ramping in 2016

2.5G / 5G BASE-T Ethernet isexpected to be rapidly adopted

2013 2020

APs

Enterprise 802.11ac AP TransitionSource: Dell’Oro Group Wireless LAN 5-year Forecast Jan 2016

Wave 1Wave 2

2014 2020

Port

s

100M/1000M to 2.5G/5G transitionSource: Dell’Oro Group Ethernet Switch 5-year Forecast Jan 2016

5.0 Gbps2.5 Gbps1000 Mbps

100 Mbps

Structured cabling considerations for supporting NBASE-T and IEEE Std.

802.3bz for 2.5G/5GBASETMasood Shariff -

Outline• What are the cabling committee guidelines for Category 5e and

Category 6 to support 2.5G/5GBASET?• Are Category 5e and Category 6 specifications changing?• What additional qualifications are needed to characterize

Category 5e and Category 6 to support 2.5G/5GBASET?• Are test procedures available to evaluate the installed base?• What are the chances that existing Category 5e and Category 6

may support 2.5G/5GBASET?• Are there means for mitigating or improving the installed base of

Category 5e and Category 6 cabling?• What is the recommendation for new installations?

Cabling Guidelines• TIA TSB-5021 “Guidelines for the Assessment and

Mitigation of Installed Cabling to Support 2.5GBASE-T and 5GBASE-T” (draft 1.1 July 2016)

• ISO/IEC TR 11801-9904 “Information Technology -Implementation and Operation of Customer Premises Cabling –Part 9904: Guidelines for the use of installed cabling to support 2,5GBASE-T and 5GBASE-T applications” (PDTR, March 2016)

Are Category 5e and Category 6 specifications changing ?

• There are no plans to change or revise any of the Cabling standards for Category 5e and Category 6 specifications

• However, existing Category 5e and 6 links/channels are being evaluated for extended frequencies and additional specifications needed to support 2.5G/5GBASE-T

• If the evaluation passes, there is a good chance that 2.5G/5GBASE-T applications will work on these installed links/channels

• If the evaluation fails, the links/channels are still Category 5e or Category 6 and can continue to be used for other applications

A1A2

Slide 20

A1 Should mention mitigation strategies can resolve issues in most cases

Downlink feature can allow for autmatic link at lower speeds supported by the installed cabling.Author, 7/19/2016

A2 Not really relevant here as this slide deals with the SPECS, not whether the link will work. Mitigation is addressed elsewhereAuthor, 7/21/2016

Qualifications needed to support 2.5G/5GBASE-T

• Category 6 No changes to internal parameters already specified up to 250

MHz Characterize alien cross-talk noise coupling up to 200 MHz

• Category 5e Internal parameters “extrapolated” to 250 MHz Link and channel NEXT and PSNEXT relaxed above 100 MHz

from 20 dB slope to 40 dB slope Characterize alien cross-talk noise coupling up to 200 MHz

Qualification Test procedures• Lab and field test procedures are already available to qualify

internal parameters ( IL, RL, NEXT, FEXT, Delay, Delay Skew) for Category 5e and 6.

• Inspection together with comparison of use cases against similar use cases already measured in the laboratory for alien cross-talk can be used for a first estimate to qualify existing Category 5e and 6 cabling

• New alien cross-talk qualification using ALSNR procedure is available in the Lab and existing field certifiers can be upgraded to perform ALSNR testing

Alien limited SNR risk matrix(source TIA TSB-5021)

A3A4

Slide 23

A3 This slide is unreadable. I would like to see mention somewhere that most Enterprise networks do not have entire length of cable running as part of a bundle. There is zero chance that there will be 100m bundling, 75m bundling will be rare, etc.Author, 7/19/2016

A4 We don't have that data to say what you're asking, and this slide is describing a different thing.Author, 7/21/2016

Viability of 5G over Category 5E cabling

V = verification recommended. E = Estimated to support. N/A = This configuration is not applicable.

A5A6

Slide 24

A5 Not sure how to read this? What does V and E mean? Are they saying that a 40m cable with 20m of it as part of a bundle is in the "V" bucket?Author, 7/19/2016

A6 Legend addedAuthor, 7/21/2016

Viability of 5G over Category 6 Cabling

V = verification recommended. E = Estimated to support. N/A = This configuration is not applicable.

A7A8

Slide 25

A7 same comment as last slide.Author, 7/19/2016

A8 Legend addedAuthor, 7/21/2016

Mitigation to improve performance• Separate the equipment cords• Enable NBASE-T downshift• Use Non-adjacent positions on patch panels for 5GBASE-T • Unbundle the horizontal cables• Reconfigure the cross-connect as an interconnect• Replace equipment and patch cords with category 6A components• Replace connectors with category 6A connectors• Replace the horizontal cable with category 6A horizontal cable

A9

Slide 26

A9 This is where mitigation is discussed. No data on how many cases mitigation addresses. This has been rearranged to align with the whitepaper in NBASE-T and mention downshift. If you go all the way, though, to a Catt6a replacement, it will be 100%.Author, 7/21/2016

Recommendation for new installations• For new installations intended to support WAPs and other

applications supporting 2.5 Gb/s or faster, it is strongly recommended to use category 6A cabling which supports all data rates up to 10 Gb/s

• No additional field testing is needed for Category 6A • If Category 5e or Category 6 is used, qualification testing is

defined in TIA TSB-5021 and general performance requirements in ANSI/TIA-568-C.2

A10A11

Slide 27

A10 I suggest replacing 1Gb/s with 2.5Gb/s in first bullet and drop 2.5 Gb/s at the end of the bullt.Author, 7/19/2016

A11 Realigned. Recommendation for NEW installs is consistently 6a across the industry.Author, 7/21/2016

NBASE-T™ 2.5GBASE-T/5GBASE-T Field Testing RecommendationsDan PayerleBusiness unit manager – IDEAL NetworksMember – NBASE-T Alliance

DOES A CABLING PLANT NEED TO BE RE-TESTED TO SUCCESSFULLY DEPLOY NBASE-T?

Not necessarily…

• With proper inspection and mitigation techniques, NBASE-T can be successfully deployed in most existing cabling plants that have been certified to pass TIA-568-C.2 performance requirements.

• There are performance parameters that are new to installers and network engineers which must be discussed.

Compatibility of installed cabling Internal transmission parameters

2.5GBASE-T 5GBASE-TMeasurement frequency range 1-100 MHz 1-250 MHz

Installed category 5e cabling Meets requirements by design

Frequency range exceeds design specification. In case of performance issues, implement mitigation techniques recommended by TIA TSB-5021

Installed category 6 cabling Meets requirements by design Meets requirements by design

Factors affecting NBASE-T operation

• Power Spectral Density (PSD)• Describes the amount energy across a frequency range.

• Power Back-off (PBO)• Method of reducing transmit power on shorter channels to reduce

alien crosstalk – improving the ALSNR of bundled cables.

• Alien Limited Signal to Noise Ratio (ALSNR)• Ratio of intended signal vs signal coupled by neighboring cables.

1GBASE-T & 10 GBASE-T Existing Applications

Source: Berk-Tek

Harmonics

2.5GBASE-T & 5GBASE-T

Source: Berk-Tek

Harmonics

Harmonics

1/2.5/5/10GBASE-T• Harmonics from lower speed

applications have the potential to effect higher speed applications

• PBO reduces the effect of alien crosstalk

Source: Berk-Tek

Power Back-off (PBO)

• Reduces transmit power when able to reduce alien crosstalk.

• Transmit power depends on Insertion Loss/length of a channel.

• 1000BASE-T (1G) has no PBO (always high power).

MHzSource: Aquantia

PBO reduces alien crosstalk

• By reducing transmission power, NBASE-T is able to operate at frequencies above the design range of category 5e and 6 cable

• Combined with proper mitigation techniques we expect a vast majority of cabling plants will support 2.5/5GBASE-T.

MHz Source: Aquantia

Bundled cables/cordsBundled distance

Total distance

Bundled cords

Unbundled cables/cords

Unbundled cords

Unbundled horizontal cables

Additional testing for NBASE-T•When necessary, procedures are in place to test category 5e/6 cabling for NBASE-T application support.

–Be suspect of category 5e channels that are bundled together for more than 20m/65ft.–Longer channels will operate at higher power (less PBO) and may have low ALSNR.1. Perform standard certification testing of the cabling appropriate for it's category

rating2. Perform Insertion Loss testing of all channels to 200 MHZ, even for category 5e

cabling• Field tester calculates PBO of the disturbed channel for a particular application (2.5G or 5G)• Field tester calculates the PBO for each disturbing channel depending on the intended

application/data rate3. Perform ANEXT and AFEXT measurements on the disturbing channels4. Field tester calculates the ALSNR. Test passes if ALSNR is greater than 28dB

Recap• Mitigation techniques will help achieve maximum performance of

NBASE-T on category 5e/6 cabling even when the specified performance of the cabling is exceeded

• Alien crosstalk is the primary concern for NBASE-T applications and is reduced by transceivers using PBO

• Additional testing is not required for NBASE-T deployment.• Should inspection of the cabling plant identify questionable channels,

TIA TSB-5021 describes methods to qualify channels in the field• “Downshift” allows the system to adapt to the cabling plant and

provide the highest possible data rate

Wrap-up and Q&A

George A. Zimmerman, Ph.D., CME Consulting

Wrap-up

• NBASE-T provides 2.5Gbps and 5Gbps over installed cabling– Interoperable with IEEE 802.3bz (2.5GBASE-T and 5GBASE-T)– NBASE-T downshift adapts to cabling to achieve the best performance

• Interoperable NBASE-T products are providing Wave 2 802.11ac wireless and other needs at > 1Gbps wired access

• Cabling standards and guidelines are in their final stages to support NBASE-T and 802.3bz rollouts

• Field test procedures to maximize performance are available

PANEL Q&A

THANK YOU!For more info, see http://www.nbaset.org