The main parameters of a local oscillator distribution in the millimeter wave range are described. The link is based on optical frequency multiplication taking benefit of the modulator nonlinearity. It is modeled using an original computer aided design (CAD) approach. Then, various practical solutions are compared and their phase noise floor is measured. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 54:1313–1316, 2012; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.26780