Abstract
Currently the CEI working group of the OIF is defining channel specifications that should guarantee successful 25 Gb/s serial signal propagation over copper interconnects. The focus of the OIF is on link-level requirements, so there will be no specific requirements for the individual components that make up the link.
One problem with this approach is that system designers, who make use of link components such as connectors, have difficulties rating these individual components as there is no specific component specification available. Further more, component manufactures have difficulties claiming compliancy of a connector/component to the standard as it is possible that, using the same connector in different environments, in certain cases a channel will pass compliancy while in other cases a channel will fail compliancy.
The scope of this paper is to address this problem.
