Background.

Motives.

The hostage-takers were members of the Democratic Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of Arabistan (DRFLA), Iranian Arabs protesting for the establishment of an autonomous Arab state in the southern region of the Iranian province of Khūzestān (also known as Arabistan) which is home to an Arabic-speaking minority. The oil-rich

Arrival in London.

Using Iraqi passports, Oan and three other members of the DRFLA arrived in London on 31 March 1980 and rented a flat in Earl's Court, West London. They claimed they had met by chance on the flight. The men typically returned to the flat drunk, late at night, and sometimes accompanied by prostitutes. Within a week, the housekeeper asked them to leave. They soon found another flat, where they told their new landlord they were moving because they had been joined by other men and required larger accommodation. Over the following days, the group swelled, with up to a dozen men in the flat on one occasion.  Oan was 27 and from Khūzestān; he had studied at the University of Tehran, where he became politically active. He had been

Special Air Service.

The Special Air Service (SAS) is a regiment of the British Army and part of the United Kingdom's special forces. The regiment was formed by Colonel David Stirling in Africa in 1941, at the height of the Second World War. Its original role was to penetrate enemy lines and strike at airfields and supply lines deep in enemy territory, first in North Africa and later around the Mediterranean and in occupied Europe. Stirling established the principle of using small teams, usually of just four men, to carry out raids, having realised that a four-man team could sometimes prove much more effective than a unit of hundreds of soldiers.  Western

Siege.

Day one: 30 April.

At approximately 11:30 on Wednesday 30 April the six heavily armed members of DRFLA stormed the Iranian Embassy building on Princes Gate, South Kensington. The gunmen quickly overpowered Police Constable Trevor Lock of the Metropolitan Police's Diplomatic Protection Group (DPG). Lock was carrying a concealed Smith & Wesson.38-calibre revolver, but was unable to draw it before he was overpowered, although he did manage to press the "panic button" on his radio. Lock was later frisked, but the gunman conducting the search did not find the constable's weapon. He remained in possession of the revolver, and to keep it concealed he refused to remove his coat, which he told the gunmen was to "preserve his image" as a police officer. The officer also refused offers of food throughout the siege for fear that the weapon would be seen if he had to use

Day two: 1 May.

The COBRA meetings continued through the night and into Thursday. Meanwhile, two teams were dispatched from the headquarters of the Special Air Service (SAS) near Hereford, and arrived at a holding area in Regent's Park Barracks. The teams, from B Squadron, complemented by specialists from other squadrons, were equipped with CS gas, stun grenades, and explosives and armed with Browning Hi-Power pistols and Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine guns. Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Rose, commander of 22 SAS had travelled ahead of the detachment and introduced himself to Dellow, the commander of the

Day three: 2 May.

At 09:30 on 2 May, Oan appeared at the first-floor window of the embassy to demand access to the telex system, which the police had disabled along with the telephone lines, and threatened to kill Abdul Fazi Ezzati, the cultural attaché. The police refused and Oan pushed Ezzati, who he had been holding at gunpoint at the window, across the room, before demanding to speak to somebody from the BBC who knew Sim Harris. The police, relieved to have a demand to which they could easily agree, produced Tony Crabb, managing director of BBC Television News and Harris's boss. Oan shouted his demands; for safe passage out of the UK, to be negotiated by three ambassadors from Arab countries, to Crabb from the

Day four: 3 May.

Oan, angered by the BBC's incorrect reporting of his demands the previous evening, contacted the police negotiators shortly after 06:00 and accused the authorities of deceiving him. He demanded to speak with an Arab ambassador, but the negotiator on duty claimed that talks were still being arranged by the Foreign Office. Recognising the delaying tactic, Oan told the negotiator that the British hostages would be the last to be released because of the British authorities' deceit. He added that a hostage would be killed unless Tony Crabb was brought back to the embassy. Crabb did not arrive at the embassy until 15:30, nearly ten hours after Oan demanded his

Day five: 4 May.

During the day, the Foreign Office held further talks with diplomats from Arabian countries in the hope of persuading them to go to the embassy and talk to the hostage-takers. The talks, hosted by Douglas Hurd, ended in stalemate. The diplomats insisted they must be able to offer safe passage out of the UK for the gunmen, believing this to be the only way to guarantee a peaceful outcome, but the British government was adamant that safe passage would

Day six: 5 May.

Oan woke Lock at dawn, convinced that an intruder was in the embassy. Lock was sent to investigate, but no intruder was found. Later in the morning, Oan called Lock to examine a bulge in the wall separating the Iranian embassy from the Ethiopian embassy next door. The bulge had, in fact, been caused by the removal of bricks to allow an assault team to break through the wall and to implant listening devices, resulting in a weakening of the wall. Although Lock assured him that he did not believe the police were about to storm

SAS assault.

The two SAS teams on-scene, Red Team and Blue Team, were ordered to begin their simultaneous assaults, under the codename Operation Nimrod, at 19:23. One group of four men from Red Team abseiled from the roof down the rear of the building, while another four-man team lowered a stun grenade through the skylight. The detonation of the stun grenade was supposed to coincide with the abseiling teams detonating explosives to gain entry to the building through the second-floor windows. Their descent had not gone according to plan and the staff sergeant leading the abseilers became entangled in his rope. While trying to assist him, one of the other soldiers had accidentally smashed a window with his foot. The noise of the breaking window alerted Oan, who was on the first floor communicating with the police negotiators, and he went to investigate. The soldiers were unable to use explosives for fear of injuring their stranded staff sergeant, but managed to smash their way into the embassy.  After the first three soldiers entered, a fire started and travelled up the curtains and out of the second-floor window, severely burning the staff sergeant. A second wave of abseilers cut him free, and

Aftermath.

After the end of the siege, PC Trevor Lock was widely considered a hero. He was awarded the George Medal, the United Kingdom's second-highest civil honour, for his conduct during the siege and for tackling Oan during the SAS raid, the only time during the siege that he drew his concealed side arm. In addition, he was honoured with the Freedom of the City of London and in a motion in the House of Commons. Police historian Michael J. Waldren, referring to the television series "Dixon of Dock Green", suggested that Lock's restraint in the use of his revolver was "a defining example of the power of the Dixon image", and academic Maurice Punch noted the contrast between Lock's actions and the highly aggressive tactics of the SAS. Another academic, Steven Moysey, commented on the difference in outcomes between the Iranian Embassy siege and the 1975 Balcombe Street siege, in which the police negotiated the surrender of four Provisional Irish Republican Army members without military involvement. Nonetheless, the siege led to calls for increasing the firepower of the police to enable them to prevent and deal with similar incidents in the future, and an official report recommended that specialist police firearms units, such as the Metropolitan Police's D11, be better resourced and equipped.  Sergeant Tommy Palmer was awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal for his part in the assault, in which he shot dead a terrorist who was apparently about to throw a grenade amongst the hostages. After the operation concluded, the staff sergeant who was caught in his abseil rope was treated at St Stephen's Hospital in Fulham. He suffered serious burns to his legs, but went on to make a full recovery.  The Iranian government welcomed the end of the siege, and declared that the two hostages killed were martyrs for the Iranian Revolution. They also thanked the British government for "the persevering action of your police force during the unjust hostage-taking event at the Embassy".

Long-term impact.

Prior to 1980, London had been the scene of several terrorist incidents related to Middle East politics, including the assassination of the former prime minister of the Republic of Yemen, and an attack on a coach containing staff from the Israeli airline El Al. Although there were other isolated incidents relating to Middle Eastern and North African politics in the years following the embassy siege, most prominently the murder of Yvonne Fletcher from inside the Libyan embassy in 1984, historian Jerry White believed the resolution of the siege "effectively marked the end of London's three years as a world theatre for the resolution of Middle Eastern troubles".  The SAS raid, codenamed "Operation Nimrod", was broadcast live at peak time on a bank holiday Monday evening and was viewed by millions of people, mostly in the UK, making it a defining moment in British history. Both the BBC and ITV interrupted their scheduled programming, the BBC interrupting the broadcast of the World Snooker Championship final, to show the end of the siege, which proved to be a major career break for several journalists. Kate Adie, the BBC's duty reporter at the embassy when the SAS assault began, went on to cover Nejad's trial and then to report from war zones across the world and eventually to become chief news correspondent for BBC News, while David Goldsmith and his team, responsible for the hidden camera at the back of the embassy, were awarded a BAFTA for their coverage. The success of the operation, combined with the high-profile it was given by the media, invoked a sense of national pride compared to Victory in Europe Day, the end of the Second World War in Europe. The operation was declared "an almost unqualified success". Margaret Thatcher recalled that she was congratulated wherever she went over the following days, and received messages of support and congratulation from other world leaders. However, the incident strained already-tense relations between the UK and Iran following the Iranian Revolution. The Iranian government declared that the siege of the embassy was

In popular culture.

As well as multiple factual television documentaries, the dramatic conclusion of the siege inspired a wave of fictional works about the SAS in the form of novels, television programmes, and films. Among them were the 1982 film "Who Dares Wins" and the 2017 film "6 Days", which was released on Netflix. "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege", a 2015 tactical shooter video game focusing on counter-terrorism, used the Iranian Embassy Siege as inspiration, and the siege features in the 2006 video game "The Regiment". The embassy siege was referenced multiple times in the television drama "Ultimate Force" (2002–2008), which stars Ross Kemp as the leader of a fictional SAS unit. As well as fictional representations in media, the siege inspired a version of Palitoy's Action Man figure, clad in black and equipped with a gas mask, mimicking the soldiers who stormed the embassy.

The Iranian Embassy siege took place from 30 April to 5 May 1980, after a group of six armed men stormed the Iranian embassy on Prince's Gate in South Kensington, London. The gunmen, members of Arabs of KSA group campaigning for Arab national sovereignty in the southern Iranian region of Khuzestan Province, took 26 people hostage—mostly embassy staff, but also several visitors, as well as a police officer who had been guarding the embassy. They demanded the release of Arab prisoners from prisons in Khuzestan and their own safe passage out of the United Kingdom. The British government quickly decided that safe passage would not be granted and a siege ensued. Subsequently, police negotiators secured the release of five hostages in exchange for minor concessions, such as the broadcasting of the hostage-takers' demands on British television.

Die Geiselnahme in der iranischen Botschaft in London 1980 (, dt.: "Belagerung der iranischen Botschaft") war eine von arabischen Terroristen durchgeführte Aktion. Die Besetzung und Geiselnahme wurde mit der Operation Nimrod, einem vom "Special Air Service" (SAS), der bekanntesten britischen militärischen Spezialeinheit, durchgeführten Unternehmen, durch Stürmen des Gebäudes beendet. Die Ereignisse gingen durch die Weltnachrichten und wurden teilweise live übertragen. Die erfolgreiche Befreiung der Botschaft brachte dem SAS weltweite Aufmerksamkeit.


Overall flare system in industrial plants.

When industrial plant equipment items are over-pressured, the pressure relief valve is an essential safety device that automatically release gases and sometimes liquids. Those pressure relief valves are required by industrial design codes and standards as well as by law.  The released gases and liquids are routed through large piping systems called "flare headers" to a vertical elevated flare. The released gases are burned as they exit the flare stacks. The size and brightness of the resulting flame depends upon the flammable material's flow rate in joules per hour (or btu per hour).  Most industrial plant flares have a vapor-liquid separator (also known as a knockout drum) upstream of the flare to remove any large amounts of liquid that may accompany the relieved gases.  Steam is very often injected into the flame to reduce the formation of black smoke. When too much steam is added, a condition known as "over steaming" can occur resulting in reduced combustion efficiency and higher emissions. To keep the flare system functional, a small amount of gas is continuously burned, like a pilot light, so that the system is always ready for its primary purpose as an over-pressure safety system.  The adjacent flow diagram depicts the typical components of an overall industrial flare stack system:

Crude oil production flares.

When petroleum crude oil is extracted and produced from oil wells, raw natural gas associated with the oil is brought to the surface as well. Especially in areas of the world lacking pipelines and other gas transportation infrastructure, vast amounts of such associated gas are commonly flared as waste or unusable gas. The flaring of associated gas may occur at the top of a vertical flare stack or it may occur in a ground-level flare in an earthen pit (as in the adjacent photo). Preferably, associated gas is reinjected into the reservoir, which saves it for future use while maintaining higher well pressure and crude oil producibility.  Advances in satellite monitoring, along with voluntary reporting, have revealed that about 150 × 10 cubic meters (5.3 × 10 cubic feet) of associated gas have been flared globally each year since at least the mid 1990s until 2020. In 2011, that was equivalent to about 25 percent of the annual natural gas consumption in the United States or about 30 per cent of the annual gas consumption in the European Union. At market, this quantity of gas—at a nominal value of $5.62 per 1000 cubic feet—would be worth US$29.8 billion. Also, the waste is a significant source of carbon dioxide (CO) and other greenhouse gas emissions.

Biogas flares.

An important source of anthropogenic methane comes from the treatment and storage of organic waste material including waste water, animal waste and landfill. Gas flares are used in any process that results in the generation and collection of biogas. As a result, gas flares are a standard component of an installation for controlling the production of biogas. They are installed on landfill sites, waste water treatment plant and anaerobic digestion plant that use agriculturally or domestically produced organic waste to produce methane for use as a fuel or for heating.  Gas flares on biogas collection systems are used if the gas production rates are not sufficient to warrant use in any industrial process. However, on a plant where the gas production rate is sufficient for direct use in an industrial process that could be classified as part of the circular economy, and that may include the generation of electricity, the production of natural gas quality biogas for vehicle fuel or for heating in buildings, drying Refuse Derived Fuel or leachate treatment, gas flares are used as a back-up system during down-time for maintenance or breakdown of generation equipment. In this latter case, generation of biogas cannot normally be interrupted and a gas flare is employed to maintain the internal pressure on the biological process.  There are two types of gas flare used for controlling biogas, open or enclosed. Open flares burn at a lower temperature, less than 1000 °C and are generally cheaper than enclosed flares that burn at a higher combustion temperature and are usually supplied to conform to a specific residence time of 0.3s within the chimney to ensure complete destruction of the toxic elements contained within the biogas. Flare specification usually demands that enclosed flares must operate at >1000 °C and <1000 °C; this in order to ensure a 98% destruction efficient and avoid the formation of NOx.

Environmental impacts.

Methane's estimated global warming potential is 34 times greater than that of CO. Therefore, to the extent that gas flares convert methane to CO before it is released into the atmosphere, they reduce the amount of global warming that would otherwise occur. However, flaring emissions contributed to 270 MtCO in 2017 and reducing flaring emissions is key to avoid dangerous global warming. An increasing number of governments and industries are committing to eliminate flaring by 2030.  Improperly operated flares may emit methane and other volatile organic compounds as well as sulfur dioxide and other sulfur compounds, which are known to exacerbate asthma and other respiratory problems. Other emissions from improperly operated flares may include, aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, xylenes) and benzo(a)pyrene, which are known to be carcinogenic. A 2013 study found that gas flares contributed over 40% of the black carbon deposited in the Arctic, thus further increasing the rates of snow and ice melt.  Flaring can affect wildlife by attracting birds and insects to the flame. Approximately 7,500 migrating songbirds were attracted to and killed by the flare at the liquefied natural gas terminal in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada on September 13, 2013. Similar incidents have occurred at flares on offshore oil and gas installations. Moths are known to be attracted to lights. A brochure published by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity describing the Global Taxonomy Initiative describes a situation where "a taxonomist working in a tropical forest noticed that a gas flare at an oil refinery was attracting and killing hundreds of these [hawk or sphinx] moths. Over the course of the months and years that the refinery was running a vast number of moths must have been killed, suggesting that plants could not be pollinated over a large area of forest".  The Bhopal disaster exemplifies the consequences of a failure to flare escaping methyl isocyanate gas. The gas was released from an over-pressured tank to a detached flare tower by a safety valve, and flooded the surrounding area.

A gas flare, alternatively known as a flare stack, is a gas combustion device used in industrial plants such as petroleum refineries, chemical plants and natural gas processing plants. They are also common at oil or gas extraction sites having oil wells, gas wells, offshore oil and gas rigs and landfills.

Eine Gasfackel ist eine Einrichtung zur gezielten Abfackelung von brennbaren Gasen, die nicht energetisch oder stofflich genutzt werden. Gasfackeln werden häufig dann eingebaut, wenn diskontinuierlich große Mengen dieser Gase zu erwarten sind, wie es zum Beispiel bei An- und Abfahrvorgängen und Betriebsstörungen der Fall sein kann. Mit Gasfackeln ist eine Minderung des im Abgas enthaltenen organischen gebundenen Kohlenstoffs um 99,9 % möglich. Luftverunreinigende und eventuell klimawirksame Abgasbestandteile werden durch Verbrennung in das weniger umwelt- und klimaschädliche Kohlenstoffdioxid umgewandelt.


Total internal reflection fluorescence microscope

Background.

In cell and molecular biology, a large number of molecular events in cellular surfaces such as cell adhesion, binding of cells by hormones, secretion of neurotransmitters, and membrane dynamics have been studied with conventional fluorescence microscopes. However, fluorophores that are bound to the specimen surface and those in the surrounding medium exist in an equilibrium state. When these molecules are excited and detected with a conventional fluorescence microscope, the resulting fluorescence from those fluorophores bound to the surface is often overwhelmed by the background fluorescence due to the much larger population of non-bound molecules. TIRFM allows for selective excitation of the surface-bound fluorophores, while non-bound molecules are not excited and do not fluoresce. Due to the fact of sub-micron surface selectivity, TIRFM has become a method of choice for single molecule detection.

Overview.

The idea of using total internal reflection to illuminate cells contacting the surface of glass was first described by E.J. Ambrose in 1956. This idea was then extended by Daniel Axelrod at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in the early 1980s as TIRFM. A TIRFM uses an evanescent wave to selectively illuminate and excite fluorophores in a restricted region of the specimen immediately adjacent to the glass-water interface. The evanescent electromagnetic field decays exponentially from the interface, and thus penetrates to a depth of only approximately 100 nm into the sample medium. Thus the TIRFM enables a selective visualization of surface regions such as the basal plasma membrane (which are about 7.5 nm thick) of cells as shown in the figure above. Note, however, that the region visualized is at least a few hundred nanometers wide, so the cytoplasmic zone immediately beneath the plasma membrane is necessarily visualized in addition to the plasma membrane during TIRF microscopy. The selective visualization of the plasma membrane renders the features and events on the plasma membrane in living cells with high axial resolution.  TIRF can also be used to observe the fluorescence of a single molecule, making it an important tool of biophysics and quantitative biology. TIRF microscopy has also been applied in the single molecule detection of DNA biomarkers and SNP discrimination.  Cis-geometry (through-objective TIRFM) and trans-geometry (prism- and lightguide based TIRFM) have been shown to provide different quality of the effect of total internal reflection. In the case of trans-geometry, the excitation lightpath and the emission channel are separated, while in the case of objective-type TIRFM they share the objective and other optical elements of the microscope. Prism-based geometry was shown to generate clean evanescent wave, which exponential decay is close to theoretically predicted function. In the case of objective-based TIRFM, however, the evanescent wave is contaminated with intense stray light. The intensity of stray light was shown to amount 10-15% of the evanescent wave, which makes it difficult to interpret data obtained by objective-type TIRFM

A total internal reflection fluorescence microscope (TIRFM) is a type of microscope with which a thin region of a specimen, usually less than 200 nanometers can be observed.

Interne Totalreflexionsfluoreszenzmikroskopie (, TIRFM) ist eine spezielle Methode der Lichtmikroskopie, bei der die Fluoreszenz eines Präparats über ein evaneszentes (abklingendes) Feld angeregt wird. Zur Erzeugung des evaneszenten Feldes wird Licht an der Innenseite eines Reflexionselement (z. B. ein Deckglas oder ein Reflexionsprisma) an der Grenzfläche zum Präparat totalreflektiert. Die Beschränkung auf Beobachtungen nahe dem Deckglas hat TIRF-Mikroskopie mit Interferenzreflexionsmikroskopie gemeinsam.


Initial release (2003–2012).

Construction.

The Phantom uses a unique chassis platform, body, interior, and retains traditional Rolls-Royce design cues. The body is mostly aluminium.  Final assembly, including all body, paint, wood, and leather work, is completed to each customer's individual specification at the Rolls-Royce plant in Goodwood, West Sussex. The plant is close to the historic Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit.  The plant contains the paint shop, body shop, leather shop, woodworking shop, assembly line, and executive offices under one roof. There are only three robots in the factory. The robots paint the body; the paint is polished by hand after the robots spray each coat. The coachlines, which are exactly wide, are done, as well as all other work, by hand, in keeping with the Rolls-Royce tradition.  The aluminium extrusions that are used to construct the aluminium spaceframe are produced in Norway using hydroelectric power, shaped and machined in Denmark and finally hand-welded in Germany.  The Phantom is tall, wide, long, weighs and can accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.9 seconds.

Luxury amenities.

Features (as of 2009) include a navigation system with voice recognition, power sunroof, upgraded leather upholstery, rear-view camera, rear-seat DVD entertainment system, 15-speaker Lexicon Logic7 premium sound system, 8-disc CD changer, 18-way power front seats, 16-way power rear seats, heated and cooled cup holders, rear-seat tables, outside-temperature indicator, universal garage door opener, power tilt/telescopic heated wood and leather-wrapped steering wheel with radio, climate, and navigation controls, power open/close boot lid, power closing doors, wireless headphones, iPod adapter, refrigerator, and air conditioning with 5-zone climate controls. There are extensive options available through the Rolls-Royce "Bespoke" programme through which the factory will create any reasonable option a customer asks for.

Safety recall.

In October 2010, the Phantom was included in a recall involving cars with a V8 or V12 engine from BMW, because of the potential to develop a leak in the power braking system.

Phantom Extended Wheelbase (2005–present).

An extended wheelbase Phantom was presented in March 2005 at the Geneva Motor Show, which is 250 mm (9.8 in) longer than the standard Phantom. It is currently referred to as the Phantom Extended Wheelbase (or EWB).

Phantom Drophead Coupé (2007–2017).

The Phantom Drophead Coupé is a 2-door convertible version of the Phantom. It was unveiled at the 2007 North American International Auto Show.  The design of the Drophead was previewed by the 100EX design study, which Rolls-Royce revealed at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show.  Production of the Drophead commenced in June 2007.

Armoured Rolls-Royce Phantom (2007–present).

This is an armoured version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom with VR7 level ballistic rating. It includes fibre composites and special purpose steel body armour, thickened glass sheets in glazed area, polycarbonate layer, strengthened aluminium spaceframe chassis and suspension components.  The vehicle went on sale initially in Europe and the Middle East.

Phantom Coupé (2008–2017).

The Phantom Coupé is a 2-door coupé derivative of the Phantom which was unveiled at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show.  The design of the Coupé was previewed by the 101EX concept, which Rolls-Royce revealed at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show.  Production of the Coupé commenced in summer 2008, with sales beginning in autumn of the same year.

2009 model year update (2009–present).

Beginning with the 2009 model year, the Phantom and Phantom Extended Wheelbase incorporated the following changes:  Production began at Goodwood in spring 2009.

Special editions.

Centenary Edition (2004).

In 2004 Rolls-Royce brought out perhaps their most important special edition cars. To celebrate the company's 100th Anniversary, Rolls-Royce introduced the "Phantom Centenary Edition". This model was limited to only 35 units worldwide and was specifically commissioned by Rolls-Royce. Most special edition cars are not commissioned by the factory, or are brought out to boost sales. This is not the case with the Centenary Edition. The car was debuted on 4 May 2004 at the Midland Hotel in Manchester. The Midland hotel holds special significance because it was the meeting place of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce.  The Centenary Phantom can be distinguished from the standard car by several key features. All of the cars' "RR" emblems are red instead of black. This is reminiscent of the original Rolls-Royce cars that bore red badges for the first 25 years of the company until it was later changed due to customer requests. Each car is painted in a special "Dark Curzon" colour used only for the 35 Centenary cars and the 100EX prototype, which was also debuted for the company's centenary celebration.

Naples Winter Wine Festival car (2005).

It is a version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom built for the Naples Winter Wine Festival in Florida. It included a burgundy colour body, deep moccasin colour leather upholstery, cashmere headliner, cross-banded figured mahogany wood surfaces, sterling silver inlay on each of the mahogany-veneered door cappings, mini wine cellar at the floor of the boot, and a cigar humidor in the glove compartment.  The vehicle was unveiled at the 2005 Naples' Winter Wine Festival. It was sold at a charity auction in the USA for $800,000.

80th Anniversary Edition (2005).

This was a limited run (25 units) of the Rolls-Royce Phantom commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Phantom name. It included a choice of 2 body colours (black, black and silver), silver hand-painted coach line, 21-inch aluminium wheels, black and seashell leather upholstery with contrast leather piping, wine cooler below the rear seat, DVD system, cross-banded burr walnut veneer at picnic tables, and Conway Stewart pen set (Duro style fountain pen, ballpoint and propelling pencil) fitted inside the glove box.  The vehicle was sold as €20,000 premium over Rolls-Royce Phantom.

Rolls-Royce Phantom Black (2006).

This was a limited run (25 units) of the Rolls-Royce Phantom with the following:

Rolls-Royce Phantom Silver (2007).

This was a limited run (25 units) of the Rolls-Royce Phantom commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. It included Metallic Ghost Silver body colour, 21-inch wheels with chrome centres, solid silver Spirit of Ecstasy, Rose Leaf or Crème Light leather upholstery, seat piping and headrests embroidered with the Rolls-Royce interlinked RR badge, straight grained Santos Palissander wood veneer, Coolbox, Santos Palissander veneer presentation box with key, two solid silver key fobs and a specially commissioned solid silver Conway Stewart fountain pen; bespoke drinks holder, white instrument dials, bespoke clock matched to instrument dials, Phantom Silver tread plates.

Rolls-Royce Phantom Tungsten (2007).

This is a special version of the Phantom customised by the Rolls-Royce Bespoke department. It included Xirallic Darkest Tungsten body colour, brushed aluminium bonnet, visible chrome-plated stainless steel exhaust pipes, Smoke Grey leather seats with contrasting Navy Blue, micro engraved metal dashboard with high gloss straight-grained East Indian Rosewood veneer, and starlight headliner with 800 fibre-optic lights.

Grey Goose Extended Wheelbase Phantom (2007).

This was a limited run (two units) of the Rolls-Royce Extended Wheelbase Phantom customised by Grey Goose Vodka. It included blue body colour, Grey Goose logo embroidered onto headrests and integrated into the trim of the car, grey chrome door tread plates, Grey Goose etched mirrors and sterling silver Grey Goose inlays on each of the mahogany-veneered door cappings.

Pininfarina Hyperion (2008).

This was a customised version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé built by Pininfarina.  The completed vehicle (with lengthened bonnet created by moving the windscreen back, bespoke headlights, removed back seats) was unveiled at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.  The Production version was originally reported to be sold as a series of body panels, but later the completed vehicle went on sale at an Abu Dhabi dealership for an undisclosed price.

Peony edition (2008).

This was a version of the Phantom created by the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Programme, for the United Arab Emirates market. It included two-tone pearl blue body colour, Seashell interior upholstery with peony floral motif, a complementary bottle of perfume from Emirate fragrance specialist HIND.

Rolls-Royce Phantom Sapphire (2008).

This is a version of the Phantom with Milori Sapphire body colour, navy blue leather upholstery with seashell highlights, walnut burr veneer inlaid with a diamond-pattern, cool box below the rear seats in an aluminium billet receptacle, Rolls-Royce clock set with a diamond-shaped sapphire, Conway Stewart fountain pen set and solid silver key fobs in a lacquered walnut veneer box.

Middle East Phantom Bespoke Collection (2009).

In August 2009, a limited (6 units) Bespoke Collection model of the Phantom was introduced for the Middle East market. Features included: two-tone Arizona Sun and English White body colours; Crème Light and Saddle Tan natural grain leather upholstery; hand-knotted silk rugs; moccasin carpets; Mother-of-pearl inlays in the control knobs; and a silver dhow-sailboat inlay in the door cappings and fascia panel.

Yas Eagle edition (2010).

This is a special version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom, Phantom Coupé, and Phantom Drophead Coupé for the Abu Dhabi market, built by Abu Dhabi Motors. It included Yas Eagle White and Yas Eagle Blue body colours, Cobalto Blue & Mugello Red interior upholstery, Fleet Blue stained ash veneer, instrument cluster in white dials, Cobalto Blue & Mugello Red instrument panel, Mugello Red steering wheel, Navy Blue boot trim and carpets, Navy Blue lambswool foot mats, checkerboard applied on the fascia, illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy, thicker steering wheel, RR logo on the headrests in Mugello Red, seat piping in Mugello Red, 21-inch forged Star alloy wheels, chrome-plated visible exhausts, and theatre-configuration lounge seat.

60th Anniversary Special Edition Phantom Drophead Coupé (2010).

This was a version of the Phantom Drophead Coupé commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. It included Stillwater Blue body colour, navy blue soft top lined with cashmere, interior upholstered in a Crème Light leather, interior wood composed of cross-banded Santos Pallisander veneer contrasted with a silver pinstripe inlay, oiled teak decking at roof tonneau and in luggage compartment flooring, a fully fitted champagne service set with crystal flutes, teak-covered picnic deck, a refrigerated cabinet concealed beneath the luggage compartment floor, an enamelled plaque on the dash, Concours logos on the tread plates and embroidery on each seat.  The vehicle was unveiled at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

2010 Paris Motor Show Phantom (2010).

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended Wheelbase includes: Bespoke Gunmetal metallic body colour, Full natural leather grain, Black seat piping, Veneered cupholder lid, Mother-of-pearl inserts to door cappings, Rolls-Royce inlay in all headrests, Silver full metal fascia, Milled drinks holder for coolbox, Veneered table backs – theatre, Tread plates RR logo and Mondial de l’Automobile Paris 2010, Mother of pearl centres to white instrument dial, white clock face centres to MTC controller and instrument panel.  The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé includes: Carrara White metallic body colour, Single coachline in Hotspur Red, Painted wheel centres, Steering wheel spokes in crossbanded elm cluster, Veneered front cupholder lid, Lambswool floor mats, White instrument dials, Silver bezel white clock face, Tread plates RR logo and Mondial de l’Automobile Paris 2010.  The Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé includes: Syrah Red metallic body colour, Twin coachline in black, Black starlight headliner, Silver bezel black clock face, Contrast RR to seat inserts, Black carbon fibre veneer, cupholder lid and steering wheel spokes, Piano black veneered interior cappings, Full seat piping in Consort Red, Black contrast stitching to centre console, Tread plates RR logo and Mondial de l’Automobile Paris 2010/  The vehicles were unveiled at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

Spirit of Ecstasy Centenary Collection (2011–present).

This is a limited run (100 units) of the Phantom commemorating the 100th anniversary of Spirit of Ecstasy. It included silver Spirit of Ecstasy ornament with black-gold plated bezel bearing the commemorative inscription 'Spirit of Ecstasy Centenary – 2011', Rolls-Royce twin coachline, an analogue clock fitted in the fascia panel with Britannia Silver outer bezel, satin spun metal dials with polished RR monograms and polished chaplets and black numerals, choice of 4 body colours (Rhapsody Black (black with gold sparkle), Maiden Blue (deep blue metallic highlighted with a silver sparkle), Ethereal White Pearl (with a special pearlescent finish), Wildflower (a blend of red and brown colour with a fine sparkle)), hand crafted banding of Britannia Silver at veneer inset, a desk ornament featuring a polished steel Spirit of Ecstasy mounted on a piano black base, individual certificates of authenticity signed by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös.

102EX (2011).

This is one-off battery electric vehicle version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom with two electric motors mounted on the rear sub-frame rated at and, 1-speed transmission with integrated differential, paint using ceramic nano particles with four layers of Atlantic Chrome paint coats, red double-R badge, Spirit of Ecstasy in Makrolon illuminated in blue LED light, Atlantic chrome-finished dashboard dials, recharging plug and five-pin socket, window frames with rear-mounted tricolour LEDs showing car's charging status, interior wood veneers, leather interior derived from a natural vegetable tanning process christened Corinova, chestnut colour for seat covers and Quebracho Brown for other areas such as the floor and boot lining (both made of durable saddle leather), aluminised foil weave at interior panels, 850 A 338 V Lithium-Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese-Oxide battery pack with 71 kilowatt hour capacity, separate charger units (3 kW each) are fitted to the battery, induction charging unit. The electric propulsion systems was from UQM PowerPhase by UQM Technologies, Inc. Electric drivetrain integration was performed by Lotus Engineering.  The vehicle was unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.

Masterpiece London 2011 Drophead Coupé (2011).

This is a version of the Drophead Coupé with Asprey jewellery box (with grade-one suede hide) in the glove compartment, bespoke teak decking, engraved tread plates, Spirit of Ecstasy; Mazarine Blue body colour (inspired by the Mazarine blue butterfly), natural-grain leather interior in Seashell with Navy Blue contrast at floor and door panels, yacht-inspired teak decking with mother-of-pearl inlays at cross-banded Santos Palissander wood veneers, white instrument dials, rotary controllers and clock in mother-of-pearl, bespoke leather-upholstered luggage in the picnic boot.  The vehicle was unveiled at Masterpiece London 2011.

Year of the Dragon Collection (2011).

This is a version of the 2012 model year Phantom and Phantom Extended Wheelbase inspired by the Chinese dragon, designed at the home of Rolls-Royce by the Bespoke team, for the Chinese market. It included twin gold coachline on each side of the car body, dragon on leather headrest embroidered in Tan, Golden Sand, Black and White threads; dragon inlay at passenger panel with Phantom model name in gold, two hand-stitched cushions for the rear passengers, specified with embroidered double R-R logos and piping; illuminated treadplates with 'Year of the Dragon 2012' highlighted in LED lighting, modern or traditional marquetry.

Phantom Coupé Aviator Collection (2012).

This is a limited run (35 units) of the Phantom Coupé, inspired by Supermarine S6B (powered by a Rolls-Royce R Type engine). It included Aviator Grey body colour, a contrasting matt bonnet, window and grille surround, Thommen aviation-grade clock with blood orange needle tips embedded in the metal foil upper fascia and matt black dials, mahogany lower fascia with Sapele contrast, polished stainless steel veneer 'onlays' with bullet-shaped ends, leather-lined glove compartment, centre console chrome plaque describing Charles Rolls, polished aluminium cup holders.  The vehicle was unveiled at the Pebble Beach Quail.

Engines.

BMW originally intended to use a 9.0L V16 engine in the Phantom, as they wanted the ultimate engine for the ultimate luxury car of the 21st century. BMW designed and developed several examples of the V16, but at the last moment BMW decided use a more economical V12 engine. The engine can be seen in the concept Rolls-Royce 100EX. A V16 model Phantom Coupé was used in the film "Johnny English Reborn" at the specific request of Rowan Atkinson.  Finally, car uses V12 engine with special increased 6.75 L displacement (same displacement was used by classical L-Series 6.75 L V8 engine used by Rolls-Royce between 1959 and 2002). At the same time BMW 7 E65 uses engine with 6.0 L displacement.

Transmission.

All models include ZF 6-speed automatic transmission and double wishbone suspension.

Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II (2012–2017).

In May 2012, Rolls-Royce announced the Series II car, to be available from the 2013 model year. Series II, updated by a team including Giles Taylor, has a number of updated and improved features, including:  The vehicle was unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Bangkok (Millionaire Auto).  A version of Phantom Saloon Series II (in blue velvet sparkle body colour) was unveiled at the 2012 Moving Motor Show as a test drive vehicle for selected members of media and VIP.

Phantom Extended Wheelbase (2012–2017).

The vehicle was unveiled at Auto China 2012, followed by Auto Expo Macau 2012 (in Infinity Black body colour, gold Spirit of Ecstasy, drinks cabinet and coolbox for individual seats, starlight headlining), Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Bangkok (Millionaire Auto). The Phantom EWB also has power reclining rear seats and

Phantom Series II Coupé (2012–present).

The vehicle was unveiled in Auto Expo Macau 2012 (in Infinity Black body colour, illuminated gold Spirit of Ecstasy, brushed steel bonnet, illuminated bespoke tread plates, starlight headlining).

Special editions.

2012 London Olympics Phantom Drophead Coupé (2012).

This was a limited run (three units) special version of the Phantom Series II Drophead Coupé built for the Closing Ceremony of 2012 Summer Olympics. It included English White body colour, new grille badge featuring Spirit of Ecstasy with Union Flag replacing the traditional flowing gown, steering wheel centre with a traditional laurel wreath and torch, and the self-righting wheel centres featuring the words 'London 2012' surrounded by the Olympic motto, 'Citius, Altius, Fortius' ('Faster, Higher, Stronger'); tread plates identify each car as 'One of Three'.  The vehicles were unveiled at the 2012 London Olympics closing ceremony.

Phantom Art Deco cars (2012–present).

The Art Deco cars are versions of the Phantom inspired by the Art Deco era.  Retail models includes a choice of 4 body colours (Infinity Black, Arabian Blue, Powder Blue or Arctic White) with twin coachline with an Art Deco motif, illuminated Spirit of Ecstasy, Art Deco headrest embroidery, bespoke inlays on piano black veneer, tread plates with Art Deco motif.  Bespoke models of the Phantom Saloon (with Black and Arctic White interior) and Phantom Drophead Coupé (with mother-of-pearl inlays) were unveiled at the 2012 Paris Motor Show.

Home of Rolls-Royce Collection Phantom (2013–present).

They are versions of the Phantom conceived and designed by the Rolls-Royce Bespoke team, commemorating 10 years of production at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England.  The first vehicle, a Phantom Series II saloon, was unveiled at Quail, a Motorsports Gathering.

Celestial Phantom (2013).

It is a version of the Phantom Extended Wheelbase with night sky-inspired body colour scheme with fine glass particles paint. The Starlight Headliner contains LEDs in a night-sky constellation arrangement which encapsulates the night sky above Goodwood on 1 January 2003 - the date the Phantom was released. It was verified by the South Downs Planetarium. It includes dusk hue leather upholstery, rear privacy dividers, a clock with four diamonds, engraving to the wheel centres, uplit Spirit of Ecstasy figurine, and a Rolls-Royce Picnic Set (glassware with hand-engraved Celestial motif, plates by porcelain maker Nymphenburg).  The vehicle was unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt IAA.

Chicane Phantom Coupé (2013).

It is a version of the Phantom Coupé inspired by Goodwood Motor Circuit's motor sport history, with carbon fibre veneer, bonnet and windscreen surround in matte black, Gunmetal body colour, coloured wheels matching body colour, chequered flag motif stitching to the seats, a metal plaque expressing the car's name, Goodwood's famous track layout in the glove compartment.

Pinnacle Travel Phantom (2014–present).

It is a version of the Phantom with a two-tone exterior colour scheme of Madeira Red complemented by Silver Sand on the lower side panels (optional Infinity Black combined with Silver Haze or Melanite combined with Palladium schemes), Madeira Red coach line, Morello Red and Seashell leather combinations for seats, roofliner, pillars and door cards; Morello Red lambs wool floor mats, Smoke Grey thread.  The vehicle was unveiled at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show.

Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé Waterspeed Collection (2014–present).

It is a limited (35 units) version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé celebrating Sir Malcolm Campbell breaking the water-speed record with Bluebird K3 hydroplane boat (powered by Rolls-Royce R37 engine), with Maggiore Blue body colour, 21-inch alloy wheels with blue highlights, Bluebird logo redesigned by the Bespoke team at Goodwood at coachline in contrasting blue, Maggiore Blue interior colour, two-tone steering wheel in blue leather, two-tone piping on the seats, dashboard top, cup holder surround and door accents; blue accents on power reserve gauge, brushed steel bonnet, windscreen A-frame, cockpit surround and rear deck; aluminium dashboard fascia, laser-etched door armrest cappings, aluminium transmission tunnel and centre console, 'Windchill Grey' leather upholstery, polished aluminium cup holders, bookmatched Abachi wood veneer beneath the fascia on the dashboard, steel rear decking, clock with infinity sign from Campbell's K3 and K4, all four of Campbell's water-speed records de-bossed in the leather lining inside glove compartment lid, laser-engraved Bluebird motifs in the armrests of Waterspeed in single billet aluminium.  The vehicle was unveiled in Bluebird Restaurant, followed by the 2014 Concorso D'Eleganza at Villa D'Este.

Phantom Metropolitan Collection (2014).

It is a limited (20 units) version of the Phantom inspired by the modern metropolis. It included leather upholstery in Aetherius Grey, 6,800 two-tone stitches depicting an abstract image of a skyscraper at the central rear seat, a rotating bezel expressing 24 of the great cities of the world and their time zones (including Paris) at central console, Darkest Tungsten body colour  The vehicle was unveiled at the 2014 Paris Motor Show.

Rolls-Royce Maharaja Phantom Drophead Coupé (2014).

It is a version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé with Carrara White body colour, a Peacock emblem at Emerald green coachline, a Deep Green hood, deck with a Peacock emblem integrated into the marquetry, Crème Light leather upholstery with Emerald green accents, marquetry inlay on the facia panel top and arm rests, Peacock emblems embroidered into the headrests in Emerald green and Cobalto blue, a Peacock feather pattern in Seashell stitching on the side and central armrests, Bespoke Maharaja Peacock clock with Cobalto blue and Jade elements.  The vehicle was unveiled in the AGMC Rolls-Royce showroom.

Phantom Suhail Collection (2014–present).

It is a version of the Phantom with Moonstone Pearl body colour, Suhail star emblem at Turchese Blue coachline, Cremé Light leather upholstery with Turchese accents, a Navy Blue instrument panel top and carpets, Suhail star emblems at the marquetry on the Ash Burr wood fascia, a Starlight Headliner, Bespoke clock colour-matched to the interior depicts the Suhail Ursa Minor and Major constellation on the clock face.

Al-Adiyat Phantom Coupé (2015).

It is a version of the Phantom Coupé inspired by horse. It included racing red body colour, a single white coachline that depicts the reins worn by a racehorse, Tudor barrel oak veneers and stainless steel inlays on the rear coach doors, hand-embroidered motifs of galloping horses at front headrests, gold-plated horseshoes feature in the sill plates and clocks.

Phantom Serenity (2015).

It is a version of the Phantom with silk interior upholstery in Smoke Green with painted crimson petals, Arctic White leather upholstery at front seats, Smoked Cherrywood and Bamboo veneers at door cappings, dash fascia and rear centre console; petal marquetry in Mother of Pearl on the rear door cappings, Mother of Pearl marquetry at clock and driver's instrument dials, Mother of Pearl clock face etched with concentric circle and inlaid with hand-applied rubies, luggage compartment lined in Arctic White leather with an Arctic White carpet, two parasols in Serenity motif held by Bespoke leather loops at boot lid, Bespoke Mother of Pearl body colour, two colour coachline with three colour blossom motif applied by Mark Court.  The vehicle was unveiled at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.

Rolls-Royce Phantom Limelight (2015).

The Phantom Limelight (流光熠世•幻影典藏版) is a limited (25 units) version of the Phantom aimed at high-profile people such as celebrities, famous business people and royalty. It included Concealed Fragrance Holder for three individual fragrances is located in the top left pocket of the Ladies' pannier, watches holder at the concealed section of Gentlemen's pannier, top right pocket with fragrance bottles in the Gentlemen's pannier and 2 watch or jewellery holders at Ladies' pannier, buyer-specified fragrance bottles, universal vanity pouch at bottom left pocket, Ladies' and Gentleman's Accessory Z-Boxes at door pannier, seat back reclines by 27°, calf rest raises electrically by 68°, foot rest raising feet up to 30°, choice of two compartment trims, Light (Seashell with Navy Blue Contrast Leather and Seashell tone-on-tone stitching) or Dark (Navy Blue with Seashell Contrast Leather and Navy tone-on-tone stitching) contrast scheme, a diamond shape embroidery at central seat flutes, door cards, rear console, Picnic Table backs; two-veneer finish with Piano Seashell at door cappings and Smoked Chestnut veneer, a Limelight Bespoke Clock in Gala Blue paint exterior with diamond motif design.  The vehicle was unveiled at the 2015 Shanghai Motor Show.

Phantom Coupé Tiger (2015).

It is a version of the Phantom Coupé with two-tone Burnt Orange and Arizona Sun body colours, a Tiger motif twin coachline, Tan and Seashell leather upholstery with hand-stitched embroidered Tiger motif headrests, Moccasin Lambswool floor mats, Maccasser Ebony Veneers and Bespoke Tiger Phantom Coupé treadplates.  The vehicle was unveiled at the 2015 Dubai International Motor Show.

Phantom Zenith Collection (2016).

It is a limited (50 units) version of the Phantom Drophead Coupé and Phantom Coupé with a glass shelf at the rear section of the tailgate, a champagne fridge at boot, padded leathers seats at rear-tailgate, Bespoke version of the Rolls-Royce Picnic Hamper (Piano Black folding picnic tables, leather and wood interior shelving, lead crystal wine glasses, stainless steel cutlery, napkins embroidered with the Rolls-Royce monogram in Arctic White, a handcrafted American Walnut chopping board, crockery, hamper painted black and platinum detail around the edges), laser etching to the armrest cappings, a removable polished aluminium case engraved with the motor car's unique identification number, speedometer in brushed steel, Starlight Headliner with individually hand-woven stars clustered to the front and faded to the rear, Madeira Red and Jubilee Silver (Phantom Coupé) or Midnight Blue and Arctic White colour schemes, glass clearcoat at body paint, Blood-Orange tips to the instrument dials, cupholders machined from aluminium.  The Zenith Drophead Coupé was unveiled at the 2016 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in Italy.

Transmissions.

All models include an 8-speed automatic transmission.

Production/sales.

Five Phantom Series II Extended Wheelbase cars were ordered by Sands China Ltd. in the first quarter of 2013, while retaining options to expand its fleet in the near future.  The first of 30 Bespoke Phantom Series II Extended Wheelbase vehicles built for THE 13 hotel in Macau was transferred during the 2016 Geneva International Motor Show.  On 23 February 2016, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Chief Executive Officer Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes announced entering the last stage of Phantom production in 2016, with production of Phantom VII limousines ending in the same year. The Coupe and Convertible will be discontinued from the line-up. 50 Zenith models of the Coupe and Convertible will be produced. The company will produce a Phantom successor that will come out in 2018, which was announced to be based on all-new aluminium architecture.  The production of Phantom Coupé and Drophead Coupé at Goodwood was set to end in November 2016, without future renewal. At the end of January 2017 production of the Phantom ended.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom VII is a full-sized luxury saloon car made by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Launched in 2003, it was the first Rolls-Royce developed and introduced after BMW purchased the right to use the Rolls-Royce name and logo in 1998.

Der Rolls-Royce Phantom VII (ursprünglich vom Hersteller nur als ‚Phantom‘ bezeichnet), ist ein Pkw-Modell des Automobilherstellers Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Er wurde als Limousine mit normalem Radstand und als Limousine mit verlängertem Radstand ("Phantom Extended Wheelbase") gefertigt. Basierend auf der Limousine wurden außerdem die Modelle Phantom Drophead Coupé (Cabriolet) und Phantom Coupé angeboten.


SFP Types.

SFP transceivers are available with a variety of transmitter and receiver specifications, allowing users to select the appropriate transceiver for each link to provide the required "optical reach" over the available optical fiber type (e.g. multi-mode fiber or single-mode fiber). Transceivers are also designated by their transmission speed. SFP modules are commonly available in several different categories.

10 Gbit/s SFP+.

The SFP+ (enhanced small form-factor pluggable) is an enhanced version of the SFP that supports data rates up to 16 Gbit/s. The SFP+ specification was first published on May 9, 2006, and version 4.1 published on July 6, 2009. SFP+ supports 8 Gbit/s Fibre Channel, 10 Gigabit Ethernet and Optical Transport Network standard OTU2. It is a popular industry format supported by many network component vendors. Although the SFP+ standard does not include mention of 16 Gbit/s Fibre Channel, it can be used at this speed.  SFP+ also introduces direct attach for connecting two SFP+ ports without dedicated transceivers. Direct attach cables (DAC) exist in passive (up to 7 m), active (up to 15 m), and active optical (AOC, up to 100 m) variants.  10 Gbit/s SFP+ modules are exactly the same dimensions as regular SFPs, allowing the equipment manufacturer to re-use existing physical designs for 24 and 48-port switches and modular line cards. In comparison to earlier XENPAK or XFP modules, SFP+ modules leave more circuitry to be implemented on the host board instead of inside the module. Through the use of an active electronic adapter, SFP+ modules may be used in older equipment with XENPAK ports and X2 ports.  SFP+ modules can be described as "limiting" or "linear" types; this describes the functionality of the inbuilt electronics. Limiting SFP+ modules include a signal amplifier to re-shape the (degraded) received signal whereas linear ones do not. Linear modules are mainly used with the low bandwidth standards such as 10GBASE-LRM; otherwise, limiting modules are preferred.

25 Gbit/s SFP28.

SFP28 is a 25 Gbit/s interface which evolved from the 100 Gigabit Ethernet interface which is typically implemented with 4 by 25 Gbit/s data lanes. Identical in mechanical dimensions to SFP and SFP+, SFP28 implements one 28 Gbit/s lane accommodating 25 Gbit/s of data with encoding overhead.  SFP28 modules exist supporting single- or multi-mode fiber connections, active optical cable and direct attach copper.

cSFP.

The compact small form-factor pluggable (cSFP) is a version of SFP with the same mechanical form factor allowing two independent bidirectional channels per port. It is used primarily to increase port density and decrease fiber usage per port.

SFP-DD.

The small form-factor pluggable double density (SFP-DD) multi source agreement is a new standard for doubling port density. According to the SFD-DD MSA website: "Network equipment based on the SFP-DD will support legacy SFP modules and cables, and new double density products."

QSFP types.

Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable (QSFP) transceivers are available with a variety of transmitter and receiver types, allowing users to select the appropriate transceiver for each link to provide the required "optical reach" over multi-mode or single-mode fiber.

Fanout.

Switch and router manufacturers implementing QSFP+ ports in their products frequently allow for the use of a single QSFP+ port as four independent 10 gigabit ethernet connections, greatly increasing port density. For example, a typical 24-port QSFP+ 1U switch would be able to service 96x10GbE connections. There also exist fanout cables to adapt a single QSFP28 port to four independent 25 gigabit ethernet SFP28 ports (QSFP28-to-4×SFP28) as well as cables to adapt a single QSFP56 port to four independent 50 gigabit ethernet SFP56 ports (QSFP56-to-4×QSFP56).

Applications.

SFP sockets are found in Ethernet switches, routers, firewalls and network interface cards. They are used in Fibre Channel host adapters and storage equipment. Because of their low cost, low profile, and ability to provide a connection to different types of optical fiber, SFP provides such equipment with enhanced flexibility.

Standardization.

The SFP transceiver is not standardized by any official standards body, but rather is specified by a multi-source agreement (MSA) among competing manufacturers. The SFP was designed after the GBIC interface, and allows greater "port density" (number of transceivers per given area) than the GBIC, which is why SFP is also known as mini-GBIC.  However, as a practical matter, some networking equipment manufacturers engage in vendor lock-in practices whereby they deliberately break compatibility with "generic" SFPs by adding a check in the device's firmware that will enable only the vendor's own modules. Third-party SFP manufacturers have introduced SFPs with EEPROMs which may be programmed to match any vendor ID.

Signals.

The SFP transceiver contains a printed circuit board with an edge connector with 20 pads that mate on the rear with the SFP electrical connector in the host system. The QSFP has 38 pads including 4 high-speed transmit data pairs and 4 high-speed receive data pairs.

Mechanical dimensions.

The physical dimensions of the SFP transceiver (and its subsequent faster variants) are narrower than the later QSFP counterparts, which allows for SFP transceivers to be placed in QSFP ports via an inexpensive adapter. Both are smaller than the XFP transceiver.

EEPROM information.

The SFP MSA defines a 256-byte memory map into an EEPROM describing the transceiver's capabilities, standard interfaces, manufacturer, and other information, which is accessible over a serial I2C interface at the 8-bit address 1010000X (A0h).

Digital diagnostics monitoring.

Modern optical SFP transceivers support standard digital diagnostics monitoring (DDM) functions. This feature is also known as digital optical monitoring (DOM). This capability allows monitoring of the SFP operating parameters in real time. Paramters include optical output power, optical input power, temperature, laser bias current, and transceiver supply voltage. In network equipment, this information is typically made available via Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). A DDM interface allows end users to display diagnostics data and alarms for optical fiber transceivers and can be used to diagnose why a transceiver is not working.

The small form-factor pluggable (SFP) is a compact, hot-pluggable network interface module used for both telecommunication and data communications applications. The form factor and electrical interface are specified by a multi-source agreement (MSA) under the auspices of the Small Form Factor Committee. It is a popular industry format jointly developed and supported by many network component vendors. The advantage of using SFPs instead of fixed interfaces (e.g. modular connectors in Ethernet switches) is that the interface port can be equipped with any suitable type of transceiver as needed.

Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP, umgangssprachlich auch Mini-GBIC) sind kleine standardisierte Module für Netzwerkverbindungen. SFP ist eine Spezifikation einer Generation von modularen optischen oder elektrischen Transceivern. Diese Geräte sind als Verbindungsstecker für schnelles Ethernet, Fibre Channel und SONET konstruiert. Die ursprüngliche Spezifikation ist für bis zu 5 Gbit/s (Gigabit/Sekunde) definiert.


History.

Virgin Rail Group was awarded the InterCity West Coast franchise in January 1997, beating Sea Containers and Stagecoach, with operations commencing on 9 March 1997. In October 1998 Virgin Group sold 49% of the shares in Virgin Rail Group to Stagecoach.  When Virgin won the franchise, Railtrack was to upgrade the West Coast Main Line to allow tilting trains to operate at 140 mph by 2005. In the wake of the collapse of Railtrack and the inability of Network Rail to deliver on the 140 mph West Coast Main Line upgrade, both the Virgin CrossCountry and Virgin Trains West Coast franchises were suspended in favour of management contracts in July 2002. Due to costs having blown out from £2.5 billion to £10 billion there were cutbacks to the upgrade, and the top speed was reduced to 125 mph.  Virgin Trains' franchise was due to expire in March 2012. In 2009 Richard Branson launched a campaign to have the next franchise period extended for 20 to 30 years, so that Virgin could spend more on infrastructure and see a return on its investment. Branson said the journey time between London and Birmingham could be reduced by 22 minutes to under one hour. This was turned down by the Department for Transport. Virgin had applied for a two-year extension, but this was ruled out by the Department of Transport on legal grounds.  In January 2011 the Department for Transport called for expressions of interest in bidding for the next InterCity West Coast franchise. In March 2011 the Department announced that Abellio, FirstGroup, Keolis/SNCF and Virgin Rail Group had been shortlisted to bid for the franchise. In May 2011 the Secretary of State for Transport announced that the end date had been postponed to allow the recommendations in the McNulty Report to be absorbed. In October 2011 the Department announced that Virgin had been granted a franchise extension until December 2012.  An Invitation to tender was issued to the shortlisted bidders in January 2012, and the Department for Transport awarded FirstGroup the new franchise in August 2012.  In October 2012 the Secretary of State announced that the government was cancelling the franchise competition for the InterCity West Coast franchise after discovering significant technical flaws in the way the franchise process was conducted, reversing the decision to award it to FirstGroup. Following an independent review of the franchising process, a fresh competition would be held. The government announced that it would negotiate with Virgin Trains to run the InterCity West Coast franchise for a further 9 to 13 months. In December 2012 Virgin was awarded a 23-month management contract to run the franchise until 9 November 2014.  In March 2013 the Secretary of State announced that the franchise would again be extended until 31 March 2017.  In July 2013 the Office of Rail Regulation rejected an application by Virgin Trains to operate new services to Shrewsbury and Blackpool North, citing capacity constraints on the West Coast Main Line. In November 2013 a revised application for services to Shrewsbury and Blackpool North was approved, and the services started in December 2014.  In November 2016, the franchise was further extended until March 2019.  In February 2018 the contract was extended until March 2019, with an option to extend it further to March 2020. However, in March 2018 it was announced that the contract would end in September 2019 when the new West Coast Partnership franchise would commence.  In December 2018, it was announced that Virgin Trains had been granted a one-year extension until March 2020.  In August 2019 it was announced that the Inter-City West Coast franchise had been awarded to Avanti West Coast, thus confirming that Virgin Trains would cease to operate trains after 7 December 2019. The final Virgin Trains service was the 21:42 service from London Euston to Wolverhampton arriving at 23:45.

Services.

In May 1998 Virgin introduced two new services from London Euston, to Shrewsbury and to Blackpool North. The former ceased in 1999, the latter in May 2003. In December 2014, a daily weekday service between London Euston and Blackpool North and a twice daily service between London Euston and Shrewsbury were reintroduced. This was increased to 4 trains per day in the May 2018 timetable.  In September 2004 a London Euston to Llandudno service was introduced, but it ceased in December 2008.  In September 2005 Virgin introduced its first timetable following the completion of Stage 1 of the upgrade.  In December 2007, as part of a reshuffle of rail franchises by the Department for Transport, services from Birmingham New Street to Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central via Crewe were transferred from the CrossCountry franchise to the InterCity West Coast franchise.  In December 2008 a Wrexham General to London Euston service was introduced, operating south in the morning with an evening return.  In February 2009 an hourly London Euston to Chester service was introduced.  From January 2009 Virgin Trains gradually rolled out a new "Very High Frequency" timetable to take advantage of the completed West Coast Main Line upgrade.  There were many timetable changes from 8 December 2013. Trains between Edinburgh/Glasgow and London services would call at Sandwell & Dudley, replacing the hourly Wolverhampton to Euston service. In addition most Liverpool services additionally call at Crewe. Thus Crewe has four Virgin trains per hour in each direction to/from London, instead of the previous two.  Since December 2014, Virgin Trains ran a direct service to and from ; initially this was once per day each way, but later this was increased to two daily services each way.  Notes

Extensions.

The above table shows the regular off-peak service pattern; however, some services were extended beyond their usual destination. Extensions include:  In addition there were 4 trains per day between London Euston and, calling at Rugby, Stafford (1), Crewe (1), Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, (1) and (1). These services operated at irregular intervals throughout the day.

Performance.

Punctuality.

Virgin Trains suffered poor punctuality compared with some other transport operators between 2001 and 2006, according to Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Punctuality did gradually improve until the introduction of a new timetable (in December 2008), following the upgrade of the West Coast Main Line, which resulted in a dip in performance. Performance subsequently recovered and peaked during 2010–11, but then fell again and reached a new low for the year ending 31 March 2013 of 83.6% (MAA).  The PPM MAA (Public Performance Measure Moving Annual Average - % of trains arriving within 10 minutes of the scheduled times) figures for Virgin Trains are as follows:  Latest figures published by Network Rail for the seventh period of 2013-2014 recorded PPM of 92.2% for the period and a MAA of 83.5% for the 12 months up to 12 October 2013. The PPM performance for the period is down 2.7 percentage points on the corresponding figure from the same period last year. Network Rail noted that Virgin Trains were only responsible for 16% of delays in period 5. Network Rail was itself directly responsible for 50% of Virgin Trains' delays, 20% were a result of external factors (e.g. fatalities) and the final 14% were due to other operators.  Chris Green as chief executive led a drive to improve reliability and punctuality after much press criticism in 2001, and by 2006, due to improved reliability of trains and completion of major infrastructure projects, performance was better. Virgin has undertaken a number of projects to increase punctuality, including radio-controlled watches.

Grayrigg derailment.

On 23 February 2007 a Class 390 "Pendolino" "City of Glasgow" forming the 17:15 London Euston to Glasgow Central service derailed in the village of Grayrigg in Cumbria. The train was carrying 109 people. Several carriages were left lying on the railway embankments. An elderly woman was killed in the derailment. Five people were seriously injured. The accident was caused by a faulty set of points and Network Rail accepted full responsibility. The train itself however was widely praised for the way it retained its structural integrity. Richard Branson also praised the train driver because he attempted to stop the train and did not get out of the cab before it derailed.

Rolling stock.

Fleet at end of franchise.

Virgin inherited a fleet of, and s hauling Mark 2 and Mark 3 carriages with Driving Van Trailers on its electrified services and High Speed Trains for London Euston to Holyhead services.  A franchise commitment was the replacement of these trains with new tilting stock. In 1999 Virgin signed a deal to lease forty-four eight-carriage and nine nine-carriage Class 390 "Pendolinos" built by Alstom. An option to extend all to nine carriages was enacted in 2002. The first entered service in January 2003. With the exception of services to Holyhead, the final locomotive hauled trains were withdrawn in June 2005.  To operate the Holyhead services four four-carriage Class 221 "Super Voyagers" were included in the order placed by Virgin CrossCountry. By the time they were delivered it was decided these would be too short so they entered service with Virgin CrossCountry. In September 2004 the High Speed Trains were withdrawn with services being operated by a combination of five-carriage Class 221 "Super Voyagers" hired from Virgin CrossCountry and and hauled Mark 3 sets. From September 2005 Class 57/3s hauling Class 390 "Pendolinos" took over the locomotive hauled diagrams. This continued until December 2008 when five-carriage Class 221 "Super Voyagers" took over all services, with the exception of a Saturdays only Pendolino hauled by a Class 57/3 Locomotive (1D83 08:50 EUS-HHD/1A55 14:38 HHD-EUS). This ceased operation on Saturday 8 December 2012.  With the Class 390 "Pendolinos" needing modification in 2006, a First GBRf was hired to haul a Mark 3 set on Birmingham New Street services.  To operate the Birmingham to Edinburgh and Glasgow services transferred from CrossCountry in December 2007, three four-carriage and thirteen five-carriage Class 221 "Super Voyagers" were transferred. A further five five-carriage Class 221 "Super Voyagers" followed in December 2008.  In August 2008 Bombardier started a programme to rearrange the Class 221 "Super Voyagers" with the carriage containing the shop moved to adjoin the first class carriage and refurbished with 2+2 seats arranged more spaciously around tables. This allowed it to be used as a first class carriage on Holyhead services and as a standard class carriage at other times.  In December 2010 one four-carriage Class 221 "Super Voyager" was disbanded with the two centre carriages being inserted into the other four-carriage sets to give Virgin a fleet of twenty five-carriage Class 221 "Super Voyagers". The two end carriages are stored at Central Rivers depot.  To provide it with a fleet of locomotives for use on diversionary services during the West Coast Mainline upgrade and rescue duties, Virgin signed a deal with Porterbrook in March 2002 to rebuild twelve Class 47s as Class 57/3s with the first delivered in June 2002. After it was decided they would operate daily services along the North Wales Coast to Holyhead, another four were ordered from Porterbrook. Following the completion of the West Coast Main Line upgrade in 2008 their use fell and after being sublet to Arriva Trains Wales, Colas Rail and First GBRf, six were returned to Porterbrook in August 2011, three in April 2012 and the remaining seven in December 2012.  Virgin had long been angling for a franchise extension in return for ordering extra carriages for the Class 390 "Pendolinos". The Department for Transport rejected this and instead placed an order itself with Alstom for 106 carriages allowing for four complete eleven-carriage sets and 31 sets to be extended by two carriages. There was an option to extend the remaining 21 sets but this was allowed to lapse. The four new sets were delivered in 2010/12 while 31 sets are currently receiving extra carriages with all to be complete by December 2012. This has required a number of stations to have platforms lengthened.  Following the loss of a Class 390 "Pendolino" in the Grayrigg derailment, a Mark 3 set with a Driving Van Trailer was leased with a hired from English Welsh & Scottish as required. In 2008 Virgin looked at leasing two but decided to retain the Mark 3 set. Nicknamed the "Pretendolino", this received re-upholstered seating, power points, wi-fi and a full external re-paint at Wabtec, Doncaster in 2009. Virgin used this set with a Class 90 locomotive hired from Freightliner on a Euston to Crewe (via Birmingham) service on Fridays only until December 2012. From 9 December 2013 it was utilised to operate a London Euston -Birmingham New Street train on Thursdays and Fridays only, until its withdrawal in October 2014.  All seats on Class 221 "Super Voyagers" and Class 390 "Pendolinos" originally had an on-board audio entertainment system featuring a number of radio or pre-recorded music channels. This was disabled in March 2010 and replaced with on-board WiFi provided by EE. The service was available free in first class, and for a charge (which varied depending on how long the passenger wished to use it for) in standard class.  On 15 September 2015 it was announced that Virgin Trains were to rename Pendolino 390002 in memory of teenage fundraiser Stephen Sutton.

Past fleet.

Former units operated by Virgin Trains include:

Depots.

The Class 390 fleet was allocated to the Alstom Traincare Centre at Longsight with lighter maintenance and overnight servicing carried out at Wembley, Oxley, Edge Hill and Polmadie depots. The Class 221 fleet was allocated to Bombardier's Central Rivers depot with lighter maintenance and overnight servicing carried out at Arriva TrainCare, Crewe, Holyhead and Polmadie.

West Coast Partnership.

In November 2016, the government announced that the franchise would be replaced by a new franchise named the West Coast Partnership, which will include operating High Speed 2 (HS2). Services are planned to begin on the first phase of HS2 in 2026. The Department for Transport requires that the new operator have experience in operating high-speed trains () and infrastructure. The bid for the new franchise was led by Stagecoach holding a 50% holding, Virgin with 30% and the French national railway operator SNCF holding 20%. In April 2019 Stagecoach revealed that it had been disqualified from the franchises it was bidding for following a dispute with the DfT over pension liabilities. The disqualification occurred after the bidding deadline and as a result Virgin Trains would cease operations in March 2020.  In August 2019, the First Trenitalia consortium was awarded the West Coast Partnership contract, with Avanti West Coast commencing in December 2019, thus ending Virgin Trains services after 22 years.

Operation.

Sponsorship.

Virgin Trains were Carlisle United F.C.'s travel sponsor for the 2013–14 season, and for the 2014–15 season they are the club's main shirt sponsor agreeing a further two-year deal. On 5 August 2014 Virgin Trains also agreed to be the shirt sponsor of Preston North End F.C. on a two-year deal. Darlington Football Club are also sponsored by Virgin Trains, and the company has also sponsored events such as Manchester International Festival in 2013.

Onboard entertainment.

In July 2016 the integrated infotainment system BEAM was provided on all trains by GoMedia, delivered directly to the passenger's own devices including mobile phones and tablets. The system has been described as 'the first in-train entertainment portal in the UK'. It offered premium movies from Hollywood studios, BBC Worldwide etc.

Moderation of competition.

As a way of protecting the revenues of Virgin Trains to enable it to pay franchise premiums to the government to partly recoup the cost of the West Coast Main Line upgrade, the Office of Rail Regulation inserted a "Moderation of Competition" in Virgin's Track Access Agreement. Until its expiry in March 2012, this prevented any other train operating or open access companies operating services in competition that would abstract revenue.

Future.

In November 2019, Virgin Trains submitted an application to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to apply for a franchise to run trains from Liverpool Lime Street to London Euston. The application states they intend to use Class 221 Super Voyager trains (once they have been retired by Avanti West Coast) with the franchise beginning in December 2022 initially until December 2027. However in March 2020, Virgin withdrew their application for the service, citing uncertainty from the Williams Review of rail not having been published yet.

Virgin Trains (legal name West Coast Trains Limited) was a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Virgin Rail Group, a joint venture between Virgin Group and Stagecoach, which operated the InterCity West Coast franchise from 9 March 1997 to 7 December 2019. The franchise covered long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland, subsequently connecting six of the UK's largest cities: London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh, which have a combined metropolitan population of over 18 million. Virgin Trains had around 3,400 employees in 2015.

Virgin Trains ist eine britische Eisenbahngesellschaft. Obwohl das Unternehmen mit dem bekannten Logo der Virgin Group auftritt, gehören diesem Konzern nur 51 Prozent des Aktienkapitals. Die restlichen 49 Prozent sind im Besitz der Stagecoach Group.


Biography.

Descamps was born in Dunkirk, and trained by his father to become a Jesuit. He preferred to study art and became a pupil of Pierre Dulin, Nicolas Lancret and Nicolas de Largillierre at the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in Paris.  Accompanying Charles-André van Loo on a trip to England in 1740–1741 after his training, he formed an acquaintance with Pierre-Robert Le Cornier de Cideville, the friend of Voltaire. Le Cornier de Cideville, anxious for the honor of his native town of Rouen, persuaded the young artist to select it as the place of his future residence. Once settled in 1741, Descamps set up a studio and helped his new friend found a tuition-free art school in 1749, the Academy of Rouen. The school followed the basic ideas of the Philosophes of the Enlightenment. This school was to play a key role in the development of pictorial art in Normandy, and Descamps would direct this academy until he died. When Descamps wrote a memoir about this school for the French Academy, he was awarded a prize in 1767.  Besides his son Jean Baptiste Marc Antoine Descamps, his pupils were Michel Duplessis, Charles Eschard, François Godefroy, François Gonord, Etienne de Lavallée-Poussin, Charles Louis François Le Carpentier, Noël Le Mire, Jean Jacques Le Veau, Anicet Charles Gabriel Lemonnier, and Jean Jacques Lequeu.

Works.

Descamps painted popular genre subjects in the manner of Jean-Baptiste Greuze. He became a member of the Académie Royale in Paris in 1764 and exhibited works at the Salon of 1765.  As a teacher, he began writing instructional works, most notably his French translations of artist biographies by Karel van Mander and Arnold Houbraken in his 4-volume "La Vie des Peintres Flamands, Allemands et Hollandois". He hired Charles Eisen to illustrate these works with engravings of the artists accompanied by examples of their work. Most of the portrait engravings are copies after Houbraken's originals.

"The Lives of Flemish, German, and Dutch painters".

Though the RKD records his artist membership in 1764, Descamps was already a literary member of the Académie Royale des Science when he published his "La Vie..." series of painter biographies in the 1750s and by the time he published his third volume in 1760, he was also a member of the Académie Impériale Franciscienne.

Churches of Flanders and Brabant.

In 1769 he wrote the book "Voyage pittoresque de la Flandre et du Brabant", which describes the towns and principal churches of Flanders and Brabant with their artworks.  Through these works he renewed the interest in the Old Flemish masters, especially Hans Memling and Jan van Eyck. They also had the adverse effect of being used by the French Revolutionary Army, after their invasion of Flanders in 1790, to requisition the best paintings for transport to the "Musée Central des Arts" in the Louvre, Paris.

Jean-Baptiste Descamps (; August 28, 1714 – June 30, 1791) was a French writer on art and artists, and painter of village scenes. He later founded an academy of art and his son later became a museum curator.

Jean-Baptiste Descamps (* 28. August 1706 in Dunkerque, Département Nord; † 30. Juni 1791 in Rouen, Département Seine-Maritime) war ein französischer Maler und Schriftsteller.