Deployment of CWDM4 Technology

As 100G-400G network technology ramps into production, datacenters are creating new test methods to identify early failures and interconnect problems. Network engineers are finding new ways to characterize reliability in order to meet the future demands and requirements for bandwidth.

CWDM4 technology is proving to be a cost-effective solution for large scale deployment and migration in data centers. The network architecture employs 4 lanes of 25 Gb/s using Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing technology to transport 100G traffic across single mode fiber. WDM reduces the amount of fiber needed to achieve this transmission, ultimately cutting costs across the board.

Within this framework, CWDM4 transceivers have become key in diagnosing early stage issues.The DDMI interface, accessed by I2C in the transceiver firmware, provides valuable parameters for monitoring operational health. DOA laser failure, optical power loss, signal degradation, and side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) are a few problems users might encounter when integrating new CWDM4 technology. It is important for the network engineers to monitor and access these real-time diagnostic reports at an early stage in order to manage inventory and RMAs.