MULTILANE ML BERT Series User manual

ML BERT Series
User Manual Revision 1.1.0, July 2021
Installation | Connection | Calibration| Measurement
ML4039B –ML4054B –ML4039D –ML4079D –ML4039E/EN –ML4079E/EN
USER GUIDE |

2
Notices
Copyright © MultiLane Inc. All rights reserved. Licensed
software products are owned by MultiLane Inc. or its
suppliers and are protected by United States copyright
laws and international treaty provisions.
Use, duplication, or disclosure by the Government is
subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii)
of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software
clause at DFARS 252.227-7013, or subparagraphs (c)(1)
and (2) of the Commercial Computer Software -- Restricted
Rights clause at FAR 52.227-19, as applicable.
MultiLane Inc. products are covered by U.S. and foreign
patents, issued and pending. Information in this
publication supersedes that in all previously published
material. Specifications and price change privileges
reserved.
General Safety Summary
Review the following safety precautions to avoid injury
and prevent damage to this product or any products
connected to it. To avoid potential hazards, use this
product only as specified.
Only qualified personnel should perform service
procedures.
While using this product, you may need to access other
parts of the system. Read the General Safety Summary in
other system manuals for warnings and cautions related to
operating the system.
To Avoid Fire or Personal Injury
Use Proper Power Cord. Only use the power cord specified
for this product and certified for the country of use.
Observe All Terminal Ratings. To avoid fire or shock
hazard, observe all ratings and markings on the product.
Consult the product manual for further ratings information
before making connections to the product.
Do not apply a potential to any terminal, including the
common terminal that exceeds the maximum rating of that
terminal.
Do Not Operate Without Covers.
Do not operate this product with covers or panels removed.
Avoid Exposed Circuitry. Do not touch exposed
connections and components when power is present.
Do Not Operate with Suspected Failures.
If you suspect there is damage to this product, have it
inspected by qualified service personnel.
Do Not Operate in Wet/Damp Conditions. Do Not Operate
in an Explosive Atmosphere. Keep Product Surfaces Clean
and Dry
Caution statements identify conditions or
practices that could result in damage to this product or
other property.

3
Table of Contents
Notices ............................................................................................................................................. 2
Table of Contents.............................................................................................................................. 3
Revision Control................................................................................................................................ 4
List of Acronyms................................................................................................................................ 5
Introduction...................................................................................................................................... 6
GUI Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 7
Installation........................................................................................................................................................7
Connecting to the Instrument ...........................................................................................................................8
Launching the GUI.............................................................................................................................................9
GUI Overview....................................................................................................................................................9
BERT Configurations........................................................................................................................................10
GUI Navigation ............................................................................................................................... 11
Instrument Control..........................................................................................................................................11
Title Tab................................................................................................................................................................................11
BERT Settings Tab.................................................................................................................................................................11
TX Control .......................................................................................................................................................12
TX Control in Optimal Mode.................................................................................................................................................12
TX Control in Advanced Mode..............................................................................................................................................13
RX Control.......................................................................................................................................................16
Rx Diagnostics ......................................................................................................................................................................17
Clock Configuration.........................................................................................................................................18
Jitter Injection.................................................................................................................................................18
Supported Measurements ............................................................................................................... 19
Measurement Controls ...................................................................................................................................19
Generic Measurements...................................................................................................................................19
Platform Specific Measurements.....................................................................................................................22
Activating a purchased Real Hardware FEC License.............................................................................................................22
Real Hardware FEC Measurements......................................................................................................................................23
Emulated FEC measurements ..............................................................................................................................................28
Noise Injection and Shallow Loopback Measurements........................................................................................................29
Host Interface for Module Management .............................................................................................................................31
BERT Characteristics........................................................................................................................ 38
Appendix 1 –Adding a BERT to the Network.................................................................................... 39
Appendix 2 –Changing the IP Address to Suit a Corporate Network.................................................. 41
Changing the IP Address of the Instrument Using USB Driver Ethernet Configuration.....................................41
Changing the IP Address Using ML IPChanger .................................................................................................42
Appendix 3 –Firmware Upgrade: Step by Step Guide....................................................................... 43
Appendix 4 –Disabling Windows Security for FW Upgrades ............................................................. 46

4
Revision Control
Revision number
Description
Release Date
1.0.0
▪Initial Release
11/25/2020
1.1.0
▪Added new TB Features: measurement tables, multi-channel
support, new FEC measurements (BER, SER)
▪Adapter Compliance Testing using ML4054B
07/22/2021

5
List of Acronyms
Acronym
Definition
BW
Bandwidth
BERT
Bit Error Rate Tester
Conf
Configuration
DUT
Device Under Test
FEC
Forward Error Correction
FW
Firmware
GBd
Gigabaud
Gbps
Gigabits per Second
GUI
Graphical User Interface
HW
Hardware
ISI
Inter-symbol Interference
JTOL
Jitter Tolerance
NRZ
Non-Return to Zero
PAM4
Pulse Amplitude Modulation (4-level)
SI
Signal Integrity
SNR
Signal-to-Noise Ratio
Sim
Simulation
SW
Software

6
Introduction
The rapid growth of cloud computing economies demands the need for stable and high-speed data
center interconnect solutions. With the widespread adoption of 400G –and move towards 800G and
beyond –errors have become an inherent part of any HSIO system. Success now lies not only in
identifying where errors occur, but also in determining which errors are critical to correct.
A key player in the test and measurement industry, MultiLane provides an essential high-value
instrumentation that ensures vendors can keep up with demand and bring their designs to market.
Our ThunderBERT line-up of BERTs, which covers virtually any desired line rate up to 800Gbps, offers
an extensive array of diagnostic and tuning capabilities.
By generating specific signals to determine the actual bit error rate (BER) of the target channel, BERTs
are mandatory instruments for communication testing. The brand new ThunderBERT GUI provides you
with an intuitive and comprehensive tool to validate your designs.
In this upgraded implementation of our BERT user guide, MultiLane provides a fully revised and unified
manual for the ML BERT series compatible with the ThunderBERT GUI.

7
GUI Introduction
To install and start using the ThunderBERT interface for the first time, follow this step-by-step
installation guide (with pictures) below:
1. Run the ThunderBERT setup file.
2. Install ThunderBERT.
3. Connect the ML BERT to the local network.
4. Launch the GUI.
5. Start the measurements.
Installation
After downloading the ThunderBERT setup file, select run and follow this easy step-by-step installation
procedure:
ThunderBERT should now be ready to run, with a shortcut button on the Desktop.
Figure 1: Setup installation procedure

8
Connecting to the Instrument
To connect to the instrument, follow this sequence of steps:
▪ Install the ThunderBERT GUI software.
▪ Connect the power cable to the power jack of the BERT and plug it into an AC outlet.
The power cable is already included in the package accessories.
▪ Power Up the BERT.
▪ Connect the device to the network* using a RJ45/LAN cable.
LAN connections can be validated with a ping to the static instrument IP.
▪ Run ThunderBERT software.
▪ Connect using the IP address of the target instrument (Figure 2). The IP address is printed
on the back side of the BERT.
▪ The previously connected IP addresses will appear in the drop-down list next to the type
box.
▪ The red-light indicator (R) will remain red while no connection is established (Figure 2).
▪ In the case of a connection failure, a pop-up message will appear indicating a connection
error (Figure 3).
*To add the device to the network, consult Appendix I at the end of this manual
NOTES:
Figure 2: Connection box
Figure 3: Connection failure notification

9
Launching the GUI
After establishing connection to the BERT, the GUI is initialized immediately, and all the BERT features
are ready for use.
The general display of the ThunderBERT GUI will appear and you can commence testing.
GUI Overview
ThunderBERT provides end users with the ability to navigate and configure instruments from the ML
BERT product family. The provision of a responsive and intuitive GUI enables you to perform different
kinds of tests and measurements as well as control every aspect of the BERT platform.
Figure 4: General GUI display (ML4039E)
Figure 5: Segmented GUI display (ML4039E)

10
BERT Configurations
This section is used to parameterize BERT measurements and to control the TX/RX configurators of
each channel in addition to clock rate and other common BERT settings.
▪ About Window (Figure 7) will give you access to the
necessary information about the product including:
oSW and API versions and Release Note
oA link to this User Guide
oLogs and configuration Files
▪ Title Tab contains:
oInstrument ID, Instrument IP address, and Temperature display
oThe info tab
oA close GUI button
▪ Common BERT Settings Tab contains:
oBaud rate configuration
oSignal modulation selection (NRZ/PAM4)
oFFE tap selection (3- or 7-tap modes)
oRX Amplitude/Sensitivity Range
oLoad + Save configuration options
▪ TX Control Section Tab contains:
oPattern and Amplitude control
oError insertion in optimal or advanced mode
▪ Clock Configuration Tabs contain clock-out and clock-in control.
▪ RX-side Control Section Tab contains:
oRX invert, RX pattern selection and RX diagnostics
oEqualization block
Figure 6: BERT control tab
Figure 7: About window

11
GUI Navigation
Instrument Control
Title Tab
▪ Displays general information of the BERT (BERT PN, instrument IP, instrument
temperature).
▪ The device tab where all board details are displayed (Figure 9).
▪ Close button: disconnect from the BERT and close GUI instance (Figure 10).
BERT Settings Tab
The BERT Settings Tab shows all primary BERT configurations which you can set.
A: Baud rate Selection –B: Modulation Selection –C: FEC –D: RX Amplitude Range –E: FFE Tap
Selection –F: Gray Coding Feature –G: Additional Options
The common BERT Settings Tab reflects enabled features; whenever a feature is enabled (gray
coding, 3/7-tap and FEC) the corresponding button turns green as shown in Figure 12.
Figure 11: BERT settings tab
Figure 10: Disconnect popup window
Figure 9: Device tab
Figure 8: Title tab

12
From this tab, select/configure to control the following features:
▪ Specify the Baud rate.
▪ Specify the signal modulation type: NRZ/PAM4 (if available/supported).
▪ Enable/Disable the FEC feature.
▪ Check the Rx amplitude range supported by the error detector.
▪ Select the 3 or 7 taps FIR filter mode.
▪ Enable/Disable the gray code option.
▪ Load/Save the configurations through the gearbox button (Figure 15).
▪ The ‘Apply’ button should be pressed after any rate change; the new line rate is set within
one second (Figure 13).
▪ Switching between NRZ and PAM4: Modulation Type available based on the selected baud
rate (Figure 14).
▪ Additional Options let you save and load test configurations including bit rate, pattern,
signal modulation, number of taps and their values, inversion, etc., for all channels (Figure
15).
TX Control
TX Control in Optimal Mode
TX channel settings can be controlled individually. A display window reflecting all the enabled
features and the applied TX settings per channel is displayed after clicking on each TX channel
tab (Figure 16).
Figure 12: Display of enabled features
Figure 13: Set
baud rate
Figure 14: Signal
modulation selection
Figure 15: Additional
options
NOTES:

13
▪ Enable/Disable TX control for each channel (TX ON/OFF). Once turned off, the control of
TX settings is disabled: channel control is locked from any selections, and TX output is
turned off (Figure 17).
▪ Specify the TX signal pattern. The supported TX patterns are all available in the dropdown
list, depending on the BERT model in use.
▪ Specify the TX amplitude. In optimal mode, the slider shows the calibrated differential
peak to peak amplitude range, each displayed value is the combination of the optimal FFE
taps. Pre-Emphasis, Main, and Post-Emphasis taps are calculated during calibration.
Calibration is supported on low and high rates and on both eye modes (NRZ and PAM4). The
optimal FFE taps are currently calculated at scaling 80%.
▪ Specify Error insertion rate. The actual rate of errors per second depends on architecture
capabilities (Figure 18).
To insert Errors:
▪ Enable Error Insertion mode (the green
color indicates that error insertion feature is
enabled).
▪ Specify the Error Insertion Rate.
▪ Click on the Update button to apply changes.
TX Control in Advanced Mode
While operating in Advanced Mode, you can fine-tune the transmitter signal with high
granularity. You will be able to specify the following TX settings and parameters:
Figure 17: TX OFF - channel control
locked
Figure 16: TX control tab and applied settings in optimal mode
Figure 18: Error insertion in optimal mode
NOTES:

14
▪ TX Pattern: Supported TX patterns are all available in the dropdown list, depending on the
BERT model in use.
▪ FFE Taps: Tap control offers the following on TX:
oScaling between 60% and 120%
o3 FFE taps (in 3-tap mode) and FIR filter 7 taps (in 7-tap
mode). Supported tap values range between -1000 and
1000.
oInner and Outer Eye: Controls only available in PAM4
mode (Inner eye value is between 500 and 1500, while
Outer eye is in between 1500 and 2500).
To start optimizing the TX setting, follow these steps:
▪ Enable the TX settings control of the channel (TX button
ON/OFF).
▪ Select a TX pattern.
▪ Customize the FFE taps. Scaling, FFE taps, and Inner and
Outer Eye can be controlled in this tab.
▪ Apply the changes by clicking on the “Set” button.
You can load/save FFE Taps file to load and use a previous FFE
configuration or save it for later use by clicking on the
buttons in the corner.
▪ Error Insertion
You can insert errors in a continuous mode or on-demand. By default, the on-demand feature is
enabled.
When inserting errors on-demand:
▪ Enable Error Insertion mode.
▪ Select the pattern. Patterns depend on the modulation
type (Figures 20 and 21).
▪ Set the gap. The sequence of words to skip without error
insertion (0 … 225 words).
▪ Set the Duration. The number of repetitions in which the
selected number of errors will be injected.
▪ Click on insert.
To insert errors in continuous mode:
▪ Disable Error insertion.
▪ Select Continuous Mode.
▪ Enable Error insertion.
Figure 22: Error patterns in NRZ
Figure 19: TX advanced mode control
Figure 21: Error patterns in PAM4
Figure 20: Error injection tab

15
Optimal configurations and calibration are only available in 3-tap mode. The Channel
Emulation feature is only supported in 7-tap mode.
▪ Channel emulation. To emulate channel loss, start by clicking the emulation button. When
enabled, the emulation button will turn to green.
You can insert the magnitude of the loss at the Nyquist frequency (half of the configured
baud rate) in decibels. In addition, an S-parameter file can be selected, loaded, and used
to calculate the taps creating the entered loss value.
TX Auto-Optimization mode
This feature is still undergoing testing. Functionality is
available in limited used cases as of version 2.4.
Operate in 7-tap mode to enable TX auto-optimization mode.
After enabling 7-tap mode, you can now apply the auto-
optimization settings where the ThunderBERT GUI will calculate the optimized FFE taps for the
current setup.
To apply the TX Optimization settings:
▪ Enable TX Optimization by clicking on the button
right next to the Tab. When enabled, the button
turns green.
▪ Click on the Optimization button to calculate the
optimal FFE Taps for the testing setup.
You can reset the FFE Taps values anytime by clicking on the
Reset button.
To perform the Optimization process on the current setting,
a lock must be detected on the channel in question.
Figure 23: Channel
emulation enabled
Figure 24: 7-tap FIR filter with
channel emulation enabled
NOTES:

16
Apply to all channels option
This option is used for the TX and RX settings, and transceiver
control if available. When selected, it applies the
configuration of the current channel to all BERT channels.
For example, pressing “Apply to all”on the TX window
will apply all TX configurations displayed in this window to
every other channel.
RX Control
RX settings can also be controlled on a per-channel basis. A window reflecting all the enabled features
and applied receiver settings per channel is displayed after clicking on each RX channel tab. You will
be able to select/configure the following settings:
▪ RX Pattern (supported RX patterns depend on the BERT in use).
▪ RX Invert: Inverts the RX polarity. The button becomes green indicating that RX polarity is
inverted.
▪ Equalization type:Includes DFE, RC, LDEQ, and MPICAN (supported EQ types appear in
this block according to the BERT type).
oDFE (Decision Feedback Equalizer) is used for strenuous links.
oRC (Reflection Canceller) extends the FFE and smooths out the tail in the pulse
response. It is used for links with strong reflections or that have too high energy in
the pulse response tail.
oLDEQ (Level-Dependent Equalizer) equalizes the signal differently for each voltage
level. It is used for optics which may have non-uniform eye openings at each
voltage level.
oMPICAN (Multipath Interference Canceller).
▪ RX Diagnostics : This Window monitors FFE Taps, SNR and Histogram graphs over
time.
▪ RX Pattern Lock: The button is usually red, but turns green when the pattern is locked and
identified successfully.
Figure 26: RX side control tab
Figure 25: RX
channel display

17
The RX channel tab employs green shading to highlight the enabled
RX features (RX polarity inversion, RC, LDEQ, MPICAN).
Rx Diagnostics
To access the RX diagnostics graph section, select the RX
button found in the RX configuration window of each
channel.
After pressing the button, RX diagnostics button is shaded
in green and a graph section will appear as shown in Figure
27.
The Rx diagnostics features 3 measurement tabs:
▪ FFE Taps: Displays the Feed Forward Equalizer tap
values.
▪ SNR: Measures Signal to Noise Ratio in decibels
(dB).
▪ Histogram: Measures density distribution of the
samples.
Screenshots of the available RX diagnostics measurements graphs are shown in Figures 29-31.
▪ RX Diagnostics graphs
Figure 27: RX side with different
EQ types enabled
Figure 28: Enabling RX diagnostics
Figure 31: Rx diagnostics SNR with all channels
Figure 30: Rx diagnostics histogram
Figure 29: Rx diagnostics FFE Taps

18
▪ You can save the graphs with the save button in the upper righthand corner of the
window.
▪ You also have the option to view all the channels at once for selected measurements
(Figure 31).
Clock Configuration
With ThunderBERT, you can choose between different clock configuration options:
▪ Internal Clock Mode or RefClk: Choose between reference or monitor clock generators
(rates dividers depend on the type of BERT in use, check specific BERT datasheets for more
details).
▪ External Clock Rate or Clk-In: Clock-in support varies depending on HW revision and
should respect the supported clock rate in limits. When the Clk-In mode is enabled, you
cannot use the BERT as a reference clock generator (Clk-Out). The permissible analog clock
input range for the ML BERT platforms varies between 136.36 and 178.78 MHz with an
optimal value of 156.25 MHz. Optimal frequency will be visible within the Clk-In menu of
ThunderBERT.
Jitter Injection
All BERT platforms supported via ThunderBERT can accept an external input clock which will enable
sinusoidal and random jitter injection for jitter tolerance (JTOL) testing for DUTs. First, set the clock
mode to be Clk-In mode per the previous section. MultiLane offers the ML407-PAM as a jittered clock
source, more information on this solution can be found on the MultiLane website.
Figure 32: Clock options
Figure 33: Jitter tolerance hardware setup
NOTES:

19
Supported Measurements
The ThunderBERT platform provides comprehensive control of all supported measurements including
BER, FEC, SER, and RX diagnostics.
Measurement Controls
Generic Measurements
You can execute BER measurements according to the channels you select. While the test is running,
you can change the X and Y axis according to the supported graph combinations. You have the choice
to measure/visualize different options such as:
▪ Single and Multichannel BER
▪ Accumulated and Instant BER
▪ Continuous BER Test
▪ Time-defined BER Test
Control
Definition
Start and Stop BER, FEC, and SER measurements
RX diagnostics: RX FFE taps, SNR, and Histogram Control
Capture histogram and update error insertion rate
Save RX FFE taps, SNR values, histogram captures
Save and Load FFE taps, Save and Load BERT settings
Set FFE taps
Insert Errors
Apply unified settings on all channels (supported on both TX and RX sides)
Apply bit rate, clock rates, FEC, and 3- and 7-tap mode
Graph Autoscale
TX ON/OFF AND Enable/ Disable History navigation measurements to be
listed in details tab
BER/ FEC Measurement Timer
Additional Options
Table 1: Measurement Controls

20
Supported measurements are grouped in the following table:
To start visualizing the selected BER results/measured data, select the channel(s) on which the
measurement(s) are to be displayed and press the Start button to run the measurement.
There is also an option to select/deselect all channels.
Instant and accumulated measurements can be displayed simultaneously in the details panel and on
the graph. In addition, you can navigate through the measurement behavior at any past time in the
test using History Navigation in the details panel at 100 ms intervals.
A: Graph Autoscale –B: Channel Selection –C: History Navigation –D: Measurement Filtering –
E: Graph Display Measurements Selection (axes) –F: Channel Selection –G: Timer/Continuous Mode
–H: Stop/Start BER –I: Details panel
X-axis selection: To enable measurements, select a value for both the X and Y axis. Different
options for the X axis selection are supported, but only one can be selected per measurement, while
more than one Y axis can be selected and displayed simultaneously. The scale of each Y axis selected
will be displayed on the left of the graph.
Instant Measurements
Accumulated Measurements
Instant BER
Real Time BER
Instant Error Count
Accumulate Error Count
Instant BER MSB
Real Time BER MSB
Instant BER LSB
Real Time LSB
Instant Error Count MSB
Accumulated Count MSB
Instant Error Count LSB
Accumulated Error Count LSB
Table 2: Supported BER Measurements
Figure 34: Clock options
E
/
Figure 35: Measurement display