(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — The University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (www.iol.unh.edu), a third-party testing ground for developing networking technologies, is the first third-party testing facility of its kind to be able to test Energy Efficient Ethernet.
According to its Tuesday announcement, UNH-IOL can now provide testing for the new IEEE 802.3az protocol, which addresses the growing need for organizations to be conscious of their energy footprint. The current Ethernet protocol maintains a constant, always-on link between devices for instant connectivity — at the price of high energy consumption. The new EEE standard enables network devices to enter a low-power idle mode when not transmitting data, dramatically reducing energy requirements. Network devices can be woken up and back in normal operation with minimal latency, resulting in little or no impact on data transmission.
The EEE standard plays a major role in other energy efficiency standards such as the EPA’s Energy Star (www.energystar.gov) program for server and data center energy efficiency. The UNH-IOL focuses on testing services for data, telecom and storage networking technology, helping to cost effectively speed go-to market time for products. In compliance with the IEEE 802.3az Task Force’s current draft standard, the UNH-IOL’s EEE testing service helps member companies assess the interoperability of devices before the standard is finalized, providing the opportunity to have market-ready equipment available as soon as the standard is approved.
“The standard is expected to be completed by 2011 and products that support the current draft of the standard are now being released,” stated Jeff Lapak, senior engineer for the UNH-IOL. “Energy efficiency is top of mind with our member companies and their customers so the pre-testing process will allow them to be able to deliver new solutions in the quickest possible timeframe.”
In addition to working closely with companies on ensuring product interoperability, the UNH-IOL contributes extensively to technology standards development through participation in a variety of standards bodies and industry forums. The UNH-IOL has been tracking and offering input for the development of the EEE standard since its inception in 2006. In April 2010, the UNH-IOL hosted the IEEE 802.3az Plugfest, sponsored by the Ethernet Alliance (www.ethernetalliance.org) global consortium, where vendors demonstrated functional, pre-standard prototype devices.
“Interoperability testing is a vital step in the development of new Ethernet technologies,” Ethernet Alliance president Charlie Lavacchia said in a statement. “The UNH-IOL provides a neutral testing ground where companies can test against the current standard of EEE, while utilizing the deep domain expertise of the lab’s staff to gain insight into future growth opportunities.”
The UNH-IOL has been conducting Ethernet testing for more than 16 years, and now operates one of the world’s most comprehensive test beds. Currently, the UNH-IOL offers EEE testing for Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet and plans to begin offering EEE testing in all flavors of Ethernet by 2011.
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