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The article discusses the small factor-pluggable (SFP) optical transceivers which allows the line cards to hold more data lines than other transceiver modules. SFP+ modules are smaller than other transceiver modules because the clock-data recovery (CDR) and Serializer/Deserializer function have been moved off the module and onto the line card. These modules are also considered as unusual because they are composed of two variants namely the limiting and the linear.

The article discusses the problems in serial data testing. As serial data streams increases, error specification has become more constricted that makes testing for tolerance and bit-error rate (BER) more important factors for accelerated BER and serial data testing, hence, David Andres, a design engineer at Marvell Semiconductor developed a method for serializer/deserializer (SerDes) receivers. Furthermore , applications on how to make accelerate BER tests predict SerDes receiver performance.

The article discusses the application of 4ary pulse amplitude modulation (PAM4) as the new measurement science for high-speed data, providing information on its advantages over the traditional non-return-to-zero (NRZ) modulation.

The article discusses the use of a wireless temperature/humidity logger. It recommends the Wifi-502 temperature/humidity logger from Measurement Computing Corp. that has 802.11b Wifi and USB connectivity. Noted is that the EasyLog software should also be installed which allows the selection of a preferred temperature unit, sets high and low alarms, and sets a sample rate and number of samples per transmission from the logger to the host computer.

The article evaluates wireless oscilloscope works with iOS user interface Aeroscope with one-channel device from Alexander Lee and Jonathan Ward, outlining its features.

The article evaluates the N4392A optical-modulation analyzer from Agilent Technologies Inc.

The article reports that PXI and PXI Express continue to grow as platforms for automated test. Targeting that market, Adlink has added a chassis, a controller, and two I/O modules to its PXI product line. Vendors say that the PXES-2590 chassis provides nine hybrid PXI/PXIe slots. The chassis uses fourlane PXIe, in which each lane handles data transfers for two I/O slots.

The article offers information on the advanced optical testers. It states that the demand for greater capacity in data centers and carrier networks never ceases. To meet that demand, Finisar Corp. is developing an optical transceivers that run at data rates of 40 to 100 gigabytes per second (Gbps).

The article offers information on the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers' (IEEE) 802.3az standard related to energy efficient ethernet (EEE). A paper by Jon Beckwith and Jeff Lapak, senior engineers at the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory states that it has come as ethernet technologies need to be more energy responsible. It highlights that oscilloscopes will need to measue timing on short signals which will occur during testing.

The article presents information about crest factor. It is applied to any alternate current (AC) signal, including the modulating signal that causes sinusoidal jitter. Using an arbitrary waveform generator, one can apply low-probability, high-amplitude jitter at known points in a serial data stream.

In this article the author discusses the increasing demand for greater data throughput, which is creating problems in fibre-optics networks. According to the author, digital transmissions of 100 Gbps are expected to reduce some of these problems. He says that new modulation schemes are necessary to handle long-distance transmissions in optical communications.

The article reports on the use of Windows 7 by engineers for controlling instruments. It however states upgrading to Windows 7 with a new personal computer (PC) can lead to numerous changes like change of peripheral component interconnect local bus (PCI) slots to PCI express (PCIe). It reports on the advanced measurement applications embedded in the Agilent Technologies Inc. N9030A PXA signal analyzer for the testing of a variety of signal standards in cellular communication and digital video.

The article focuses on anechoic chambers which are used for testing the products for electromagnetic immunity and emission in populated areas. According to Bryan Sayler, senior vice president and general manager of ETS-Lindgren LP, a good idea of the product road map is necessary for designing an anechoic chamber. Some of the other factors which influence the chamber designs include the height of the host building, absorbers, product size and ceiling height.

The article focuses on the new version of the military electromagnetic-compliance (EMC) tests MIL-STD-461F in the U.S. It states that the version F of the standard includes significant and minor changes which also resulted to some confusions. According to Washington Laboratories operation vice president Steve Ferguson, the test can be still performed in a minimum measurement time even its new frequency-scanning technique can now run faster.

The article focuses on the solutions for the limited expansion slots for consumer-grade desktop personal computers (PCs). Fred Blönnigen, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Bustec, has opted to use the industry standard used to solve the problems regarding the limited PCI expansion slots. The Ethernet and VXI are some examples of computer buses.

The article focuses on IEEE P802.3ba, a standard that will define an architecture for 40 and 100-Gbps Ethernet. The 10-Gbps optical and electrical links are running out of steam while engineers are working to fix the problem. The idea of IEEE P802.3ba came about which uses multiple lanes to carry on a single fibre or multiple fibres per specified distances. Also, the IEEE P802.3ba defines the 100-Gbps transmission using four 25-Gbps lanes that will require test equipment to support those rates.

The article reports on the enhancements adopted in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) 1588 in Europe. The protocol allows time-synchronization packets called transparent clocks to pass through switches and routers. It enables nodes on packet-based networks to be synchronized in both frequency and time.

The article discusses the trend of using high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) ports on television sets. It cites the report of In-Stat Inc. that millions of HDMI ports have already been shipped. Moreover, it stresses that HDMI Consortium has developed compliance test specifications designed to minimize interoperability problems and oscilloscope makers Agilent Technologies Inc., LeCroy Corp. and Tektronix Inc. have developed hardware and software to automate physical layer compliance.

The article focuses on executives' views on the significance of viable bus VXI to ensure growth in the computer industry. Mike Granieri, vice president of advanced programs at Phase Matrix, states that VXI equipment makers have met the needs of consumers with the development of VXI modules. Tim Brooks, business development manager at National Technical Systems, reveals that customers prefer VXI because of its lower cost than PXI.

The article discusses the 802.3ba, the designation for a 100-gigabytes per second (Gbps) and 40-Gbps Ethernet communications standard, established by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in December 2007. It states that the standard will likely specify either 4 by 25-Gbps lanes or 10 by 10-Gbps lanes since transmitting a single lane at 100 Gbps is not possible with the current technology applied.

The article focuses on the cabled PCI Express (PCIe), which has enough bandwidth to process and transfer data to an outside processor. According to Richard McDonell, PXI and instrument-control product group manager at National Instruments, cabled PCIe requires less processing than parallel PCI, uses thin cable and can transfer about 250 Mbytes/sec per lane. Moreover, this utility shows supports for applications that process data separately from digitizers and could find use in video systems. INSET: Sapphire d-6432DFT combines loop-back, jitter test.

The article focuses on Qlogic's manufacture of host-bus adapter cards that connect servers to storage devices and storage-area networks. Test engineers must then check performance, features and error handling when the company makes a design change. A configurable network using software-controlled physical-layer switches was designed to increase productivity.