Calnex SNE Ignite High Precision Network Emulator for O-RAN Fronthaul Testing
Multi-port FPGA-based precision network emulator applying line-rate impairments on 100GbE, 25GbE and 10GbE Ethernet links.
- Optical Interfaces – 100GbE
- QSFP28 (LR4/SR4) – 2, 4, 6 or 8 ports (optional)
- Optical Interfaces – 25GbE
- SFP28 (SR/LR) – 2, 4, 6 or 8 ports (optional)
- Optical Interfaces – 10GbE
- SFP+ (SR/LR) – 2, 4, 6 or 8 ports (optional)
- Forward Error Correction (FEC) – 100GbE NRZ
- RS (528,514) KR4
Overview
The Calnex SNE Ignite is a multi-port, FPGA-based precision network emulator intended for applications that require high accuracy, such as O-RAN fronthaul testing. It applies line-rate network impairments on Ethernet links at 100GbE, 25GbE and 10GbE, allowing devices and infrastructure to be tested under real-world network conditions in the lab.
The emulator is designed for low intrinsic latency, low Packet Delay Variation (PDV) and low Maximum Time Interval Error (MTIE), so that PTP synchronization is not affected while impairments are applied. An integrated one-step PTP Transparent Clock allows data flows to be separated and impaired independently without affecting synchronization, regardless of packet size. SyncE passthrough is supported with or without External Clock synchronization.
The SNE Ignite can be configured with two, four, six or eight ports at 100GbE, 25GbE or 10GbE and is software upgradeable to the 100GbE interface speed option. Multiple concurrent users are supported, with isolation through port reservation.
Control and automation
The instrument is operated through a graphical, map-based web user interface in which the target network is drawn on screen and impairments are added as required. Automation is available through the Local Timeline Option, which schedules changes to emulation settings, or through a RESTful API for full remote control.
Key Features
- Full line-rate network emulation at 100GbE, 25GbE and 10GbE
- Nanosecond resolution and repeatability
- Delay at line-rate of up to 320ms at 100GbE and up to 42 seconds at reduced bandwidth with Extended Delay Option
- SyncE Pass-Thru mode maintains SyncE clock link between devices
- Integrated one-step PTP Transparent Clock
- Low intrinsic latency
- Low Packet Delay Variation (PDV)
- Low Maximum Time Interval Error (MTIE)
- SyncE and External Clock input
- Software upgradeable to 100GbE interface speed option
- Configurable as two, four, six or eight 100GbE/25GbE/10GbE ports
- Multiple concurrent users with isolation through port reservation
- Automation using Local Timeline Option or RESTful API
- Extensive set of filters to configure packet impairments
- Drop, error, delay, re-order or duplicate packets
- Web-based graphical map-based user interface
- FPGA architecture for high accuracy and throughput
Specifications
| Optical Interfaces – 100GbE |
QSFP28 (LR4/SR4) – 2, 4, 6 or 8 ports (optional)
At least one of the 100GbE or 25GbE options must be ordered
|
|---|---|
| Optical Interfaces – 25GbE |
SFP28 (SR/LR) – 2, 4, 6 or 8 ports (optional)
Optical Adaptors are provided to convert QSFP28 to SFP28 for 25GbE
|
| Optical Interfaces – 10GbE |
SFP+ (SR/LR) – 2, 4, 6 or 8 ports (optional)
Optical Adaptors are provided to convert QSFP28 to SFP+ for 10GbE
|
| Forward Error Correction (FEC) – 100GbE NRZ | RS (528,514) KR4 |
| Forward Error Correction (FEC) – 25GbE NRZ |
RS (528,514) KR4
FEC can be disabled at 25GbE
|
| Clock Reference | Internal or External (10 MHz) |
| SyncE Pass Thru | Clock can be recovered on one port and passed transparently to another. |
| Passthrough Pause Frames | As defined within IEEE 802.3x standard. |
| Passthrough PFC Frames | As defined by the 802.1Qbb standard. |
| Impairment Profiles – 25GbE/10GbE |
16 profiles allowing 8 flows of impaired packets in each direction
Each profile can be configured individually
|
|---|---|
| Impairment Profiles – 100GbE |
8 profiles allowing 4 flows of impaired packets in each direction
Each profile can be configured individually
|
| Filtering |
MAC Source and Destination Address, Length/Type; VLAN (Priority, VLAN ID & Type), Custom VLAN; Custom VLAN Length, Offset, Mask, Value; MPLS Label, CustomMPLS; Custom MPLS Length, Offset, Mask, Value; IPv4 Source and Destination Address; IPv4 Version No, DiffServ/ToS, Protocol; IPv6 Source and Destination Address; UDP/TCP Source port, Destination port; Custom L3/L4/L5 Length, Offset, Mask, Value
Powerful user-configurable filters including ranges and wildcards
|
| GTPv2 | Targeted GTPv2 control message impairments (e.g. create session request, modify bearer request, etc.); GTPv2 Version, Type, Tunnel EndPoint ID |
| GTP Filter | Targeted GTP control message impairments (e.g. create session request, modify bearer request, etc.); GTP Version (v1, v2), Type, Tunnel EndPoint ID |
| eCPRI Filter | Targeted eCPRI impairments; eCPRI Revision, Concatenation Indicator, Message Type, Encapsulation |
| RoE Filter | Targeted RoE (Radio over Ethernet) impairments; Message Type, Flow ID, Length, Ordering Info |
| PTP Filter | Layer 2 Ethernet, Layer 3/4 UDP IPv4 |
| PTP Transparent Clock |
1-step Transparent Clock
The residence time is measured and placed in the PTP event message correction field
|
| Web Browser User Interface |
Drag and drop user interface
Allows user to draw out their target network on screen, add impairments as required and visualize the network-under-test
|
|---|---|
| Local Automation | Timeline Option enables local configuration automation to a 1s resolution. |
| Remote Control | RESTful API enables full remote control. |
| Smart Start-up | Automatically launch previous map on boot. |
| Multi-user Support | Multiple users, share maps, assign ports to individual users. |
| Packet Corruption | Dropped packets, Errored packets, Duplicated packets, Re-ordered packets |
|---|---|
| Corruption Mode |
burst (1 – 10,000), rate (0.00001 to 100%)
Applies to all corruption impairments; Continuous or On/Off/Repeat based on time or number of packets
|
| Latency/Delay and PDV/Jitter distributions |
Constant Delay; Gaussian, Gamma (internet), Uniform and Step distribution of jitter; Import from an external file
Independent delay/jitter distribution per profile; readout of Max, Min Jitter and Max Delay
|
| Jitter range | 1 µs to 400 ms; step size is 1 ns |
| Minimum Delay Emulation (Intrinsic Delay) | 6.8 µs at 10GbE; 6.8 µs at 25GbE; 6.8 µs at 100GbE |
| Minimum Delay Emulation (Jumbo Frame Mode) | 14 µs at 10GbE; 8.85 µs at 25GbE; 8.85 µs at 100GbE |
| Maximum Delay Emulation (full line-rate) |
80 ms at 100GbE; 320 ms at 25GbE; 750 ms at 10GbE
Delay Resolution: 1 ns
|
| Maximum Extended Delay Emulation (line-rate) |
320 ms at 100GbE; 1280 ms at 25GbE; 3200 ms at 10GbE
Extended Delay Option; delay resolution: 1 ns
|
| Extended Delay (reduced bandwidth) |
up to 22 s (all rates at 1G reduced bandwidth); up to 42 s (all rates at 500M reduced bandwidth)
Extended Delay Option
|
| Delay Resolution | 1 ns |
| Timeline | Automation via the Web UI without scripting; schedule changes to emulation settings; loop the timeline for continuous playback |
| Link Flap | Enables the port administrative state to be cycled up/down, down/up, available via the RESTful API. |
Specifications are taken from the manufacturer's documentation. See the datasheet for complete and current values.
Applications
- O-RAN fronthaul (O-DU to O-RU) test
- O-RAN midhaul (O-CU to O-DU) test
- 5G Mobile Edge Computing (MEC)
- 5G Core and backhaul
- Datacenter interconnect / migration
- Cloud migration planning
- Telecom / Federal applications
- Defense applications
- Customer Proof of Concept (PoC)
- SLA verification
- IPTV, video
Included
- Optical Adaptors to convert QSFP28 to SFP28 for 25GbE and QSFP28 to SFP+ for 10GbE