Alcatel‑Lucent KFA720 WMOTCMVLAB SFP/XFP Optical Interface Carrier
The Alcatel‑Lucent KFA720, identified by the code WMOTCMVLAB, is a high‑density optical interface carrier board designed for advanced transport and switching platforms. This carrier supports a wide range of pluggable optics, including SFP, SFP+, and XFP transceivers, enabling flexible and scalable optical connectivity for 10G, 40G, and 100G applications.
Product Description
This carrier board serves as a universal optical interface adapter, accepting up to 12 small‑form‑factor pluggable modules (depending on configuration). It provides the physical and electrical interface between the host system’s backplane and the optical transceivers, handling signal conditioning, clock recovery, and management communication via the I²C bus. The board is designed for use in Alcatel‑Lucent's 7750 SR routers, 1830 PSS photonic switches, and other optical transport gear.
The WMOTCMVLAB variant offers enhanced support for both short‑reach and long‑reach optics, as well as coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) and dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) transceivers. This versatility allows network operators to mix and match different reach and wavelength types on a single card, simplifying inventory and sparing.
Technical Specifications
Product Type: Optical Interface Carrier
Part Number: KFA720 (Variant: WMOTCMVLAB)
Port Density: Up to 12 ports (SFP/SFP+/XFP) depending on transceiver type
Supported Transceivers: SFP (1G), SFP+ (10G), XFP (10G), and some 40G QSFP+ (with adapter)
Data Rates: 100Mbps to 10Gbps per port (and 40G aggregated with 4 lanes)
Interfaces: High‑speed SerDes (up to 10.3125 Gbps per lane) with built‑in CDR
Management: I²C (SFF‑8472) for DOM (digital optical monitoring)
Power: +3.3 V and +5 V supplies from backplane, with per‑port current limiting
Power Consumption: 25 W (fully loaded with 10G XFPs)
Operating Temperature: 0°C to 55°C
Dimensions: Standard half‑height, half‑length PCIe form factor (or proprietary)
Key Features
Universal compatibility with MSA‑compliant SFP/SFP+/XFP transceivers.
Support for digital optical monitoring (DOM) for temperature, voltage, bias, and power.
On‑board signal integrity enhancement via equalization and pre‑emphasis.
Hot‑swappable transceiver ports with live insertion and removal.
Passive copper and active optical cable support.
LED indicators for link status, activity, and fault per port.
Deployment Scenarios
This carrier is widely used in data center interconnect, metro aggregation, and long‑haul transport. It enables network engineers to tailor each port to specific reach or wavelength requirements, simply by inserting the appropriate transceiver. For example, a mix of 10GBASE‑SR (short‑reach) and 10GBASE‑LR (long‑reach) can be placed on the same board, saving shelf space and reducing complexity.
In DWDM systems, the carrier supports tunable XFP optics that can be remotely assigned to any wavelength, facilitating flexible grid deployments and rapid provisioning.
Integration and Management
The host system automatically recognizes each inserted transceiver and loads the necessary parameters from its EEPROM. The management interface provides real‑time access to DOM values, allowing proactive monitoring of optical health. The carrier also supports loopback and PRBS testing for troubleshooting.
Firmware updates for the carrier’s microcontroller can be performed in‑service, and the board includes a reset line for individual ports.
Reliability and Compliance
Designed with redundant power inputs and robust ESD protection, the KFA720 achieves high reliability. It complies with RoHS, and all optical interfaces meet ITU‑T G.957 and G.958 standards. The carrier is NEBS level 3 certified for use in central offices.
Conclusion
The Alcatel‑Lucent KFA720 WMOTCMVLAB optical interface carrier provides a versatile and high‑performance solution for optical connectivity. Its broad transceiver support, advanced monitoring, and ease of management make it an ideal choice for modern photonic and packet‑optical networks.
