VIAVI / Series · TestCenter Platforms

VIAVI TestCenter Sub-100G Multi-Speed Appliances and Test Modules for L2–3 Ethernet Validation

Family of TestCenter fX, dX, mX and pX test modules and M1/C2 appliances for L2–3 validation of sub-100G Ethernet networks.

Line rates: 10/5/2.5/1G and 100M
Interface cards: Up to two interface cards (NICs) and up to 8 Ethernet ports
Media support: NBASE-T and IEEE 802.3bz compliant; Support up to 8 Ethernet ports
Inter-system time synchronization: Timing chain synchronization with ±20 ns; Synchronized via GPS or CDMA network; Using NTP or PTP packet-based approaches

View Models Datasheet

Overview

Sub-100G Ethernet technologies remain foundational across enterprise, service provider, industrial and data center networks for access, aggregation, control-plane and specialized connectivity applications. Validating these networks requires checking performance, interoperability, resiliency and long-term operational stability.

VIAVI TestCenter Sub-100G Solutions are available both as modular chassis-based architectures using fX, dX, mX and pX sub-100G test modules and as compact appliance platforms such as M1 and C2. This allows test configurations to scale across enterprise, service provider and data center infrastructures.

The solutions support functional, performance and interoperability validation, including traffic generation and analysis, measurement of latency, jitter, throughput and packet loss, and regression testing for hardware, software and topology changes. They integrate with VIAVI TestCenter hardware from 10MB to 1.6T and with TestCenter Virtual environments.

Appliances

The C2 is a 2U appliance that accepts up to two interface cards (NICs) and up to 8 Ethernet ports, with synchronized hardware timing across NICs and ports, supporting 10G, 5G, 2.5G, 1G and 100M line rates as well as Automotive Ethernet. The M1 is a compact 2U appliance offered in several kit configurations from 1G SFP to 100G QSFP28, designed for low-noise benchtop operation, with traffic and protocol performance identical to fX2 mainframe test modules.

Test modules

The fX2 module provides 16 SFP ports at 10/100/1000 Mb/s. The fX3 modules provide four or six QSFP28 ports with FPGA-based mode switching between 100, 50, 40, 25 and 10G speeds, offered in several speed combinations with hardware speed upgrade options. The mX3 modules provide eight SFP28 ports at 25/10G or 25G only, with two multi-core Intel Xeon class CPUs per module for stateful router and host traffic emulation. Modules receive transmit line clocking and time-stamping from the control modules of the SPT-N12U and SPT-N4U chassis.

Models in this series

Model	Description
fX2-1G-S16	VIAVI TestCenter fX2-1G-S16 16-Port 10/100/1000 Mbps SFP Ethernet Test Module 16-port SFP fX2 test module for 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Layer 2–3 traffic generation and analysis in TestCenter chassis.	Details →
MX3-25GD-S8	VIAVI TestCenter mX3 MX3-25GD-S8 Dual-Speed 8-Port 25/10G SFP28 Test Module Dual-speed 8-port SFP28 mX3 test module for 25G and 10G Ethernet Layer 2–3 testing in TestCenter chassis.	Details →
MX3-25GO-S8	VIAVI TestCenter mX3 MX3-25GO-S8 8-Port 25G SFP28 Test Module Single-speed 8-port SFP28 mX3 test module for 25G Ethernet Layer 2–3 testing in TestCenter chassis.	Details →

Key Features

High-density Ethernet testing with dX, fX, mX and pX test modules or M1/C2 appliances with a variety of NIC configurations
Support for regression testing and long-term network lifecycle assurance
Line-rate traffic generation and analysis across large port counts
Repeatable measurement of latency, jitter, throughput and packet loss
Standards-aligned multi-vendor interoperability validation
Integration with 10MB to 1.6T TestCenter hardware and TestCenter Virtual environments
19 scheduling algorithms for traffic emulation from micro-bursts to timed frame sequences
Emulated device count, traffic and rate can be changed on the fly
Full packet capture with trigger and filtering controls
Intelligent power control to shut down unused test modules
Enable and disable Clause 74 BASE-R FEC, Clause 91 RS-FEC and Clause 108 RS-FEC on fX3 and mX3 modules
Autonomous Flow Tracking (AFT) on fX3 4-port and 6-port modules in 100G speed mode
M1 low-noise design for benchtop operation
TestCenter MCP Server support on M1 for conversational test configuration, execution and analysis
Chassis chaining and external timing sync via direct connect, NTP, PTP, GPS and CDMA

Specifications

C2 Multi-speed Appliance

Line rates C2	10/5/2.5/1G and 100M
Interface cards C2	Up to two interface cards (NICs) and up to 8 Ethernet ports
Media support C2	NBASE-T and IEEE 802.3bz compliant; Support up to 8 Ethernet ports
Inter-system time synchronization C2	Timing chain synchronization with ±20 ns; Synchronized via GPS or CDMA network; Using NTP or PTP packet-based approaches Ports in the same chassis are phase-locked to the internal timing source
VFDs C2	6 VFDs available for each of 256 stream templates
Frame length range and controls C2	100% line rate for frames of 60-16004 bytes controlled by fixed, increment, decrement, random, and IMIX modes
Statistics C2	Nearly 50 transmit stats per port reported in real time; Over 40 real-time measurements per stream including latency, jitter, and data integrity
Time source C2	Stratum-3 oscillator default time source; adjustable ±102 PPM
Frame timestamp resolution C2	2.5 ns
Capture C2	256 MB per port With trigger and filtering controls
Interfaces C2	Power switch, Admin port, VGA, HDMI, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, test ports Number of test ports depends on appliance configuration
External Time Reference connectors C2	10 MHz with 50 Ohm cable (SMA); 1 PPS with 50 Ohm cable (SMA); SERIAL DCE (RJ45); IEEE 1588 (RJ45)
Multiple chassis connections C2	SYNC OUT (RJ45), SYNC IN (RJ45)
Dimensions C2	3.5” (H) x 13.9” (W) x 11.2” (D)
Weight C2	13 pounds Without external power adapter
Operating environment C2	0°C to 35°C, 10% to 70% Non-condensing
Storage environment C2	-20°C to 70°C, 0% to 100% Non-condensing
AC power adapter C2	Input voltage range: 100 V-240 V 50-60 Hz; Output voltage range: 19.5 V, 16.9 A, 330 W
Total DC power C2	330 W
Safety compliance C2	FCC Part 15 Class A; CE Mark Class A EN 55032:2012; EN 55024:2010; EN 61000-3-3:2013; EN 61000-3-2:2014; UL 60950-1:2007 R10.14; CAN/CSA-C22.2 NO.60950-1-07+A1:2011+A2:2014

fX2 10/100/1000Mbs Ethernet Test Module

Port density fX2-1G-S16	16 ports
Media support fX2-1G-S16	1000MBASE-SX, 1000MBASE-LX, 10/100/1000MBASE-T (full-duplex only)
Transmit line clock fX2-1G-S16	+/- < 1 PPM on initial shipment. Accurate to +/- 4.6 PPM over 15 years of operation Stratum-3 rated oscillator is the default time source
Frame time stamp resolution fX2-1G-S16	10ns
Inter-chassis time synchronization fX2-1G-S16	Timing chain synchronization with +/- 20ns Also via GPS or CDMA network, or NTP/PTP (requires supporting controller version)
Transmit / receive streams per port fX2-1G-S16	32k/64k
VFDs fX2-1G-S16	6 VFDs available for each of 1024 stream templates
Frame length range and controls fX2-1G-S16	100% line rate for 1GE frames of 58-16383 bytes controlled by fixed, increment, decrement, random and IMIX modes 10/100 max frame length of 16350 when not using PPM adjust; 10BASE-T max frame length of 13000 when using PPM adjust
Capture fX2-1G-S16	16 MB per port With trigger and filtering controls
Operating temperature fX2-1G-S16	15°C - 35°C, 20% - 80% RH (non-condensing)

fX3 Quint-speed 4-port QSFP28 Modules

FX3-QSFP28-4-50A ports (slot / N12U / N4U) FX3-QSFP28-4-50A	50G Only: 8 / 96 / 16
FX3-QSFP28-4-100A ports (slot / N12U / N4U) FX3-QSFP28-4-100A	100G Only: 4 / 48 / 8
FX3-QSFP28-4-125A ports (slot / N12U / N4U) FX3-QSFP28-4-125A	100/25G: 4/16 / 48/192 / 8/32
FX3-QSFP28-4-175A ports (slot / N12U / N4U) FX3-QSFP28-4-175A	100/50/25G: 4/8/16 / 48/96/192 / 8/16/32
FX3-QSFP28-4-150A ports (slot / N12U / N4U) FX3-QSFP28-4-150A	100/40/10G: 4/4/16 / 48/48/192 / 8/8/32
FX3-QSFP28-4-225A ports (slot / N12U / N4U) FX3-QSFP28-4-225A	100/50/40/25/10G: 4/8/4/16/16 / 48/96/48/192/192 / 8/16/8/32/32
Media support FX3-QSFP28-4	100G: 100GBASE-SR4, 100GBASE-CR4, 100GBASE-LR4, plus additional MSA PMDs; 50G: 25/50G Consortium 50GBASE-CR2; 40G: 40GBASE-SR4, 40GBASE-CR4, 40GBASE-LR4; 25G: 802.3by 25GBASE-CR, 25GBASE-CRS, 25GBASE-SR; 10G: 10GBASE-SR, 10G Copper DAC Support varies by module speed mode; QSFP28 to SFP28 breakout cable options
FEC FX3-QSFP28-4	Clause 74 BASE-R FEC, Clause 91 RS-FEC, and Clause 108 RS-FEC Auto-Negotiation and Link Training for 100G, 50G, 40G and 25G
Frame time stamp resolution FX3-QSFP28-4	2.5ns
Transmit / receive streams per port FX3-QSFP28-4	64k TX and 128k RX for all speeds
VFDs and variable fields FX3-QSFP28-4	6 VFDs available for each 1k (100G) and 512 (50/40/25/10G) stream templates; 4 m route insertion table entries for all speeds
Frame length range and controls FX3-QSFP28-4	100% line rate for frames of 64-16383 bytes controlled by fixed, increment, decrement, random and IMIX modes
Transmit clock adjustment FX3-QSFP28-4	±100 PPM in 1 PPM increments per 2 100G ports
Capture FX3-QSFP28-4	1 MB per 100G or 40G port; 512 kB per 50G port; 256 kB per 25G port
Operating temperature FX3-QSFP28-4	15°C - 35°C, 20% - 80% RH (non-condensing)

fX3 Quint-speed 6-port QSFP28 Modules

FX3-QSFP28-6-50A ports (slot / SPT-N12U) FX3-QSFP28-6-50A	50G Only: 12 / 144
FX3-QSFP28-6-100A ports (slot / SPT-N12U) FX3-QSFP28-6-100A	100G Only: 6 / 72
FX3-QSFP28-6-125A ports (slot / SPT-N12U) FX3-QSFP28-6-125A	100/25G: 6/24 / 72/288
FX3-QSFP28-6-175A ports (slot / SPT-N12U) FX3-QSFP28-6-175A	100/50/25G: 6/12/24 / 72/144/288
FX3-QSFP28-6-150A ports (slot / SPT-N12U) FX3-QSFP28-6-150A	100/40/10G: 6/6/24 / 72/72/288
FX3-QSFP28-6-225A ports (slot / SPT-N12U) FX3-QSFP28-6-225A	100/50/40/25/10G: 6/12/6/24/24 / 72/144/72/288/288
Media support FX3-QSFP28-6	100G: 100GBASE-SR4, 100GBASE-CR4, 100GBASE-LR4, plus additional MSA PMDs; 50G: 25/50G Consortium 50GBASE-CR2; 40G: 40GBASE-SR4, 40GBASE-CR4, 40GBASE-LR4; 25G: 802.3by 25GBASE-CR, 25GBASE-CRS, 25GBASE-SR; 10G: 10GBASE-SR, 10G Copper DAC Support varies by module speed mode; QSFP28 to SFP28 breakout cable options
Frame time stamp resolution FX3-QSFP28-6	2.5ns
Transmit / receive streams per port FX3-QSFP28-6	64k TX and 128k RX for all speeds
Frame length range and controls FX3-QSFP28-6	100% line rate for frames of 64-16383 bytes controlled by fixed, increment, decrement, random and IMIX modes
Transmit clock adjustment FX3-QSFP28-6	+/- 100 PPM in 1 PPM increments per 2 100G ports
Capture FX3-QSFP28-6	1MB per 100G or 40G port; 512kB per 50G port; 256kB per 25G port
Operating temperature FX3-QSFP28-6	15 C - 35 C, 20% - 80% RH (non-condensing)

M1 Multi-speed Appliance

Speeds M1	100/50/40/25/10/5/2.5/1G and 10/100/1000M
Transmit line clock M1	± < 1 PPM on initial shipment. Accurate to ± 4.6 PPM 15 years of operation Stratum-3 rated oscillator is the default time source
Frame time-stamp resolution M1	2.5 ns
Operating condition M1	41° to 86°F (5° to 30°C) ambient temperature. 20% to 80% relative humidity
AC input range M1	100-240VAC (Autosensing)
Max power draw M1	Maximum of 2000W
Weight M1	Unit installed weight: 32 lb. (14.5 kg); Shipping weight: 42 lb. (19 kg)
Dimensions M1	2U rack mount height; 20” (D) x 17.5” (W) x 3.5” (H) or 50.80cm x 44.45 cm x 8.89 cm
Ports M1-KIT-04-START	4 SFP+ ports, 10/1G Streams 64k/128k; capture buffer 256 MB
Ports M1-KIT-06-START	8 SFP+ ports, 10/1G Streams 64k/128k; capture buffer 256 MB
Ports M1-KIT-15-START	16 SFP ports, 1000M/100M/10M Streams 32k/64k; capture buffer 8 MB; ACC-6092A needed to support BASE-T (RJ-45)
Ports M1-KIT-18-START	8 SFP ports, 4 SFP+ ports; 1000M/100M/10M ; 10G/1G
Ports M1-KIT-21-START	4 QSFP28 ports, 100G/50G/40G/25G/10G Ethernet Capture buffer 8 MB per port; frame size 60 to 16,004
Ports M1-KIT-23-START	2 QSFP28 ports and 4 SFP+ ports Capture buffer 8 MB per port; frame size 60 to 16,004
Ports M1-KIT-25-START	8 10G BASE-T ports, 4 SFP ports Copper card 10G/5G/2.5G/1G/100M Ethernet; capture buffer 8 MB per port
Workstation requirements M1	Windows-based workstation with 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet NIC; mouse and color monitor required for GUI operation; Linux- or Windows-based workstation for scripting; Mac-, Linux-, or Windows-based workstation for Rest API support

mX3 Dual-speed 8-port SFP28 Modules

MX3-25GD-S8 ports (slot / SPT-N12U / SPT-N4U) MX3-25GD-S8	25G/10G: 8/8 / 96/96 / 16/16
MX3-25GO-S8 ports (slot / SPT-N12U / SPT-N4U) MX3-25GO-S8	25G Only: 8 / 96 / 16
Media support MX3-25GD-S8, MX3-25GO-S8	25G: 802.3 by 25GBASE-CR, 25GBASE-CRS, 25GBASE-SR; 10G: 10GBASE-SR, 10G Copper DAC Support varies by module speed mode; Auto-Negotiation and Link Training for 25G
Frame time stamp resolution MX3-25GD-S8, MX3-25GO-S8	2.5 ns
Transmit/receive streams per port MX3-25GD-S8, MX3-25GO-S8	TX/ 64K TX and RX/128K for all speeds
Frame length range and controls MX3-25GD-S8, MX3-25GO-S8	100% line rate for frames of 58-16383 bytes controlled by fixed, increment, decrement, random and IMIX modes
Capture MX3-25GD-S8, MX3-25GO-S8	512 MB per 25G/10G port
Operating temperature MX3-25GD-S8, MX3-25GO-S8	15°C - 35°C, 20% - 80% RH (non-condensing)

Applications

SDN and data center forwarding validation
Device benchmarking per IETF RFC 2544, RFC 2889 and RFC 3918
Service provider core and edge router testing
Data center top-of-rack, spine and core switch benchmarking
Carrier Ethernet service validation
Subscriber emulation
High-scale terabit router testing
Functional, conformance and performance testing
Network equipment burn-in and production line test
Pre-deployment testing and troubleshooting
Enterprise IT device and network testing
University and technical training labs

Options & Accessories

Option	Description
ACC-6025A	1000Base-SX GigE SFP Transceiver, MM 850nm, LC Connector
ACC-6026A	1000Base-LX GigE SFP Transceiver, SM 1310nm, LC Connector
ACC-6092A	Copper transceiver, SFP, 1000BASE-T RJ-45 — Full-duplex operation only
ACC-6099A	Optical transceiver, SFP, 1300NM, 100BASE-FX MMF
ACC-6095A	Optical Transceiver QSFP28 100GBASE-SR4 MMF 850NM
ACC-6096A	Optical Transceiver QSFP28 100GBASE-LR4 SMF 1310NM
ACC-1034A	Copper DAC QSFP28 100GBASE-CR4 1M
ACC-1035A	Copper DAC QSFP28 100GBASE-CR4 3M
ACC-1038A	Copper DAC QSFP28 100GBASE-CR4 5M
HWO-FX3-QSFP28-4-100G	100G Hardware Speed Option for FX3-QSFP28-4
HWO-FX3-QSFP28-4-50G	50G Hardware Speed Option for FX3-QSFP28-4
HWO-FX3-QSFP28-4-40G	40G Hardware Speed Option for FX3-QSFP28-4
HWO-FX3-QSFP28-4-25G	25G Hardware Speed Option for FX3-QSFP28-4
HWO-FX3-QSFP28-4-10G	10G Hardware Speed Option for FX3-QSFP28-4
HWO-FX3-QSFP28-6-100G	100G Hardware Speed Option for FX3-QSFP28-6
HWO-FX3-QSFP28-6-50G	50G Hardware Speed Option for FX3-QSFP28-6
HWO-FX3-QSFP28-6-40G	40G Hardware Speed Option for FX3-QSFP28-6
HWO-FX3-QSFP28-6-25G	25G Hardware Speed Option for FX3-QSFP28-6
HWO-FX3-QSFP28-6-10G	10G Hardware Speed Option for FX3-QSFP28-6
BPK-1407	Autonomous Flow Tracking (AFT) Package — Only supported on fX3 4-port and 6-port modules in 100G speed mode