Moku Gigabit Streamer Quick Start Guide

Updated September 25, 2025

Moku Gigabit Streamer provides a high-performance, low-latency path for transmitting large volumes of sample data directly between Moku:Delta devices. Moku-to-Moku streaming enables real-time sharing of waveforms, high-rate sample playback, cross-device synchronization workflows, and distributed signal-processing chains without involving a host computer. This is ideal for applications where you need one Moku to generate or process a signal and another Moku to observe, further process, or re-inject it into a test setup.

There are two versions of Moku Gigabit Streamer:

• Gigabit Streamer, which provides two 10 Gbit/s SFP ports
• Gigabit Streamer+, which provides one 100 Gbit/s QSFP port (subject to export control)

The Gigabit Streamer integrates seamlessly with other Moku instruments through Multi-Instrument Mode, allowing each device to generate, process, and visualize streamed data in real time. This makes it possible to build flexible, distributed measurement systems where multiple Moku units work together as a unified pipeline.

The Gigabit Streamer+ can also operate as a standalone instrument, where analog inputs 1–4 map to the record path and analog outputs 1–4 provide playback.

This Quick Start Guide walks through a Moku-to-Moku streaming setup:

• Connect the 10 MHz reference ports on both Mokus to synchronize their clocks.
• Moku 1 generates a waveform using the Arbitrary Waveform Generator (AWG) and transmits the custom waveform through the Gigabit Streamer in Slot 3.
• Moku 2 receives the incoming stream through its own Gigabit Streamer in Slot 1 and displays the waveform on the Oscilloscope.
• All routing between instruments on each device is handled digitally inside Multi-Instrument Mode, with no external networking equipment required.
• The two Mokus are connected directly through their SFP ports using a 10G DAC cable. Once LED 3 on each device lights blue, the physical link is active and we can start data streaming.

Figure 1 Configuration for Moku to Moku data streaming through Gigabit Streamer

Moku 1 configuration (Transmit)

On Moku 1, place the Arbitrary Waveform Generator in Slot 2, then add the Gigabit Streamer to Slot 3, which corresponds to the SFP2 port. Ensure the AWG outputs are routed to the Gigabit Streamer inputs for streaming. With the routing in place, configure the AWG to generate two arbitrary signals, one on each channel.

Next, configure the streaming parameters. In the Decimation block, set the sample rate to 156.25 MSa/s, which corresponds to the minimum decimation available for Normal Decimation mode with two channel streaming over the SFP. Ensure that the signal frequencies used in the AWG are below half of this rate to avoid aliasing.

Once the output signals are configured, open the Gigabit Streamer interface and click the globe icon to access the network configuration required for the stream:

• Local
  • IP address: 10.1.1
    Assign a static IP for the SFP network (this is separate from the control interface IP).
  • Multicast Address: Leave empty
    Not used for direct point-to-point links.
  • UDP Port: 4991
    Any unused port is acceptable; Moku 1 does not receive packets in this example.

• Remote
  • IP address: 10.1.2
    Must match the Local IP configured on Moku 2.
  • UDP Port: 4991
    Must match the Local UDP port on Moku 2.
    MAC Address: MAC address of Moku 2’s SFP port
    Copy this from the “Local MAC Address” field in Moku 2’s Gigabit Streamer.

• Network MTU: 1500 bytes
  This is the maximum supported size for Moku-to-Moku reception; payload size and samples per packet are calculated automatically.

Figure 2 Network configuration for Moku 1 Gigabit Streamer for transmission

Moku 2 Configuration (Receive)

On Moku 2, we will configure the Gigabit Streamer to receive the incoming sample stream from Moku 1 and display it using the Oscilloscope. In Multi-Instrument Mode, add the Gigabit Streamer to Slot 1 (SFP1) and add the Oscilloscope to Slot 2, then connect the Gigabit Streamer outputs to the Oscilloscope inputs to complete the receive path.

We will then configure the Gigabit Streamer with the following network parameters:

• Local
  • IP Address: 10.1.2
    Assign a static IP for the dedicated SFP link.
  • Multicast Address: Leave empty
    Not used for point-to-point links.
  • UDP Port: 4991
    Must match the Remote UDP Port configured on Moku 1.
  • MAC Address: Fixed by Moku
    Displayed automatically; each SFP or QSFP port has its own MAC address.
• Remote
  • IP Address: Leave blank
    Not required on the receiving side.
  • Remote UDP Port: 4991
    Not used, but often kept consistent with the Local UDP Port.
  • Remote MAC Address: Leave blank
    Not required on the receiving side.
• Network MTU: 1500 bytes
  This is the maximum packet size that the receiver can accept.

Figure 3 Network configuration for Moku 2 Gigabit Streamer for receiving

Once these settings are applied, the receiver is ready to accept an incoming stream at all times. The output channels on Moku 2 are not connected manually. Instead, when Moku 1 begins transmitting, the corresponding output ports will be connected automatically.

Now that we have configured both Mokus, start the streaming session by clicking “Start” on Moku 1 to begin transmitting, the receiver will feed the sample stream to the Oscilloscope in real time, and you should be able to see the arbitrary waveforms.

Figure 4 Arbitrary waveforms transmitted through Gigabit Streamers connected through the SFP ports and displayed in the Oscilloscope.

Conclusion

This Quick Start Guide outlined the configuration required to establish a direct streaming path between two Moku:Delta devices. By combining Multi-Instrument Mode routing with a high-speed SFP connection, the Gigabit Streamer forms a deterministic link for passing high-rate waveform data between devices.

The configuration shown here can be adapted to support different instrument combinations, or more complex test arrangements where generation and analysis are distributed across devices. The same principles apply regardless of the specific workflow, making the Gigabit Streamer a versatile component within larger measurement systems.