Calnex Paragon-neo PTP and SyncE Timing and Synchronization Test Platform

PTP and SyncE test platform with sub-ns Time Error accuracy, up to 100GbE, or 400GbE with the Paragon neo-A PAM4 version

Optical interfaces: All optional
NRZ 100MbE: SFP
NRZ 1GbE: SFP
NRZ 10GbE: SFP+

Datasheet

Overview

The Calnex Paragon-neo is a test platform for PTP and SyncE timing and synchronization. It is designed for network equipment manufacturers who develop, verify and manufacture devices against enhanced timing standards. Examples include ITU-T G.8273.2 Boundary Clocks and O-RAN compliant O-DU and O-RU equipment. It is also designed for teams that design and deploy 5G networks and systems.

The platform comes in two versions. Paragon neo supports speeds up to 100GbE. Paragon neo-A adds PAM4 56G lane interfaces for speeds up to 400GbE. Calnex states that the hardware and the software test methods give sub-nanosecond accuracy for the whole test system.

PTP and SyncE testing

Paragon-neo analyses PTP conformance to standards-based or user-defined profiles. It indicates pass or fail automatically, gives the reason for any non-compliance and generates reports. It can emulate PTP timeTransmitter and timeReceiver clocks and apply standards-defined Time Error impairments. It can also measure SyncE wander and PTP Time Error at the same time. SyncE testing to ITU-T G.8262.1/G.8262 covers wander tolerance, transfer and generation, pull-in, hold-in and pull-out ranges, frequency accuracy, phase transient, and jitter tolerance and generation. ESMC messages can be generated and decoded for testing to ITU-T G.8264.

Software and workflow

A conformance test application sets up standards-defined test sequences and generates PTP and ESMC messages, Time Error and SyncE impairments. It also applies filters, metrics and masks. The Calnex Analysis Tool (CAT) shows all measurement results in one place, with several graphs side by side, and checks metrics such as MTIE and TDEV against ITU-T and O-RAN masks. The instrument is controlled from a web browser and can be automated with TCL, Perl and Python scripts.

Key Features

Sub-ns accuracy and 250ps resolution
Data rates up to 400GbE with the 56G lane PAM4 option (Paragon neo-A)
PAM4 50G, 100G, 200G and 400G interfaces
NRZ 10G, 25G, 40G, 50G and 100G interfaces
100M and 1G electrical interfaces
2.5G, 5G and 10G electrical interfaces
Boundary Clock/T-TSC testing (G.8273.2)
Transparent Clock testing (G.8273.3)
Assisted Partial Timing Support Clock testing (G.8273.4)
PRTC and ePRTC testing (G.8272/G.8272.1) with GNSS simulator
SyncE jitter and wander testing to ITU-T G.8262.1/G.8262
O-RAN testing of O-DU and O-RU
Standards-defined Time Error impairments
FlexE Overhead Sync Test to ITU-T G.8312
Validates SyncE, jitter and wander, ESMC and PTP to ITU-T G.826x and G.827x standards
PTP Field Verifier (PFV) for PTP protocol analysis with automatic pass/fail indication
Conformance Test Application for standards-defined test sequences
Calnex Analysis Tool (CAT) with ITU-T and O-RAN MTIE/TDEV masks
Browser-based GUI with test-case driven workflow
Full automation support with Python and Tcl/Tk
Hardware ready for future upgrades

Specifications

Optical Interfaces

Optical interfaces	All optional
NRZ 100MbE	SFP
NRZ 1GbE	SFP
NRZ 10GbE	SFP+
NRZ 25GbE	SFP28
NRZ 40GbE	QSFP+
NRZ 50GbE	QSFP28
NRZ 100GbE	QSFP28; QSFP28 DCO
PAM4 56G 50GbE Paragon neo-A	SFP56 Paragon neo-A only
PAM4 56G 100GbE Paragon neo-A	SFP-DD Paragon neo-A only
PAM4 56G 200GbE Paragon neo-A	QSFP-DD Paragon neo-A only
PAM4 56G 400GbE Paragon neo-A	QSFP-DD Paragon neo-A only
Maximum data rate Paragon neo	100GbE Product page states up to 400GbE; per datasheet 400GbE requires Paragon neo-A (PAM4)
Maximum data rate Paragon neo-A	400GbE PAM4
Passive DAC	Passive DAC supported on all NRZ line rate interfaces and on PAM4 56G for Paragon neo-A.

Electrical Interfaces and Clock References

Electrical interfaces	1000/100 BASE-T: RJ45
External reference clocks	Lock internal timing reference to external reference. External reference inputs: 2.048 MHz, 10 MHz, T1 BITS clock (1.544 Mb/s), E1 MTS (2.048 Mb/s).
Internal reference clock frequency stability over temperature	better than ±1 x 10-9
Internal reference clock short term phase stability	better than 500 ps
Clock reference output ports	2 x 10 MHz/2.048 MHz Reference Outputs (BNC)
Phase measurement	1 pps – BNC (unbalanced); 1 pps – RJ48 (balanced)
Frequency measurement	BNC (unbalanced); RJ48 (balanced)
1 pps + ToD reference input	1 pps Unbalanced Input (BNC), 1 pps Balanced Input + ToD (RJ48). ToD format: CCSA, ITU-T, NMEA.
1 pps + ToD reference output	1 pps Unbalanced Output (BNC), 1 pps Balanced Output + ToD (RJ48). ToD format: CCSA, ITU-T, NMEA.

PTP

Standards	IEEE 1588, G.8273.2, G.8272, All relevant ITU-T G.826x/827x standards.
Supported profiles	IEEE 1588V2 and ITU-T G.8275.1, G.8275.2, G.8265.1
PTP Time Error measurement accuracy (NRZ optical)	Better than 1 ns Except 100MbE (5 ns)
PTP Time Error measurement accuracy (PAM4 optical and electrical)	Better than 5 ns Except 1GbE (15 ns)
timeTransmitter/timeReceiver emulation	Emulate PTP timeTransmitter with full parametric control. Emulate PTP timeReceiver. Add Time Error patterns e.g. G.8273.2, G.8271.1, G.8271.2, G.8261, user-defined.
Time Error metrics	Built-in (CAT) software including industry-standard ITU-T pass/fail masks with clear pass/fail indication. Time Error (2Way and 1Way) – packet selection and filtering as per ITU-T specifications cTE, dTE, etc.
PTP packet analysis	Decode and display PTP Fields with PFV. Additional options with full PFV licence: Display pass/fail to standards-based or user-defined rules; report generation capability.

SyncE

Jitter/Wander measurement	ITU-T G.8262.1, G.8262 and O.174. Jitter/Wander Generation, Wander Transfer, Jitter/Wander Tolerance, Phase Transient, built-in frequency offset plus generation of sinusoidal, MTIE and TDEV Wander.
Wander analysis	Built-in (CAT) software including industry-standard ITU-T pass/fail Masks with clear pass/fail indication. ITU-T Masks: G.8261, G.8262, G.8262.1, G.8261.1. Wander Measurements: TIE, MTIE, TDEV, clock FFO.
ESMC (SSM) features	Decode ESMC messages to ITU-T G.8264 and graph/plot Quality Level (QL) changes graphically (bi-directional). Generate ESMC (SSM) packets as per ITU-T G.8264. Enhanced SSM fully supported.
Phase wander measurement resolution	250ps

Test Applications

Boundary Clock Testing	ITU-T G.8273.2
Transparent Clock Testing	ITU-T G.8273.3
PTS and APTS Clock Testing	ITU-T G.8273.4
TimeTransmitter Clock Testing	ITU-T G.8272/8272.1
O-DU and O-RU Testing	O-RAN.WG4.CONF.0
Announce Message Delay Measurement	ITU-T G.781.1 (APP III)
FlexE Overhead Sync Test	ITU-T G.8312

General

PC/Mac or tablet control interface	Web-based GUI with built-in controller enables use of any PC or Android Tablet with any browser with screen resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels. RJ45 LAN connection to instrument.
Workflow	Graphical test-case driven workflow with real-time status and results. Stimulus/Response test configuration tool. Detailed configuration options also available.
Remote control	Scripting via TCL, Perl and Python. Automatic Script Recorder for TCL, Perl and Python. Compatible with Calnex Test Sequencer (CTS) for creation/use of specific or user-defined test plans. Product page lists automation support with Python and Tcl/Tk

Mechanical Data

Dimensions (w x h x d)	45 x 17 x 40 cm
Weight	13kg

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

Applications

5G network device validation
O-RAN synchronization and latency conformance
Fronthaul, midhaul and backhaul timing testing
Broadcast QoS for IP network transition
Boundary clock and transparent clock testing
Network equipment development, verification and manufacturing

Options & Accessories

Option	Description
56G lane PAM4 option	56G lane PAM4 option (Paragon neo-A) — Speeds up to 400GbE with PAM4 50G, 100G, 200G and 400G interfaces
PFV	PTP Field Verifier full licence — Display pass/fail to standards-based or user-defined rules; report generation capability