(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — As a new power-saving standard for Ethernet devices comes closer to a reality, the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (www.iol.unh.edu), a third-party testing ground for developing networking technologies, has begun offering third-party testing for Energy Efficient Ethernet.
In late June, UNH-IOL became the first facility of its kind to be able to test the new IEEE 802.3az EEE standard. This new protocol was developed to reduce the power that drives data throughput during periods of low Internet usage or minimal Ethernet activity.
“I think it has a lot of significance for the industry,” UNH-IOL senior engineer Jeff Lapak said. “Obviously the industry itself it moving towards a Green model. And one of the great things about the Energy Efficient Ethernet is that it’s almost an enabling technology in that there’s significant power savings, it itself can achieve, but it also allows other technologies to kind of sit on top of that, so there’s further ability to do power savings by turning down other pieces of equipment either inside or above the Ethernet stack, based on what the Ethernet stack is doing.”
Unlike the current Ethernet protocol, which maintains a constant, always-on link between devices for instant connectivity, 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 is regulated by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (www.ieee.org), the world’s largest technical professional society, is a leading authority on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics.
The development of Ethernet communication standards reached a major milestone about a year ago (in July 2009) when the IEEE 802.3 Working Group approved forwarding the draft of the IEEE P802.3az Energy-Efficient Ethernet standard to Working Group ballot, putting it on track to meet its target September 2010 approval as a standard by the IEEE-SA Standards Board.
“This is the first project in the history of Ethernet aimed specifically at reducing energy use,” said Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory senior network engineer Michael Bennett, who also chairs the IEEE P802.3az Energy Efficient Ethernet Task Force. “IT managers are faced with ongoing pressures to balance energy use and reduce energy costs. Reaching this milestone is an important step towards providing network designers with additional tools to reduce energy consumption.”
Bennett added that interest in energy efficiency has also been partly driven by initiatives such as the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program.
“This has attracted the attention of computer and network equipment manufacturers to contribute to the IEEE P802.3az standard” he said. “The industry is committed to creating a sensible Energy Efficient Ethernet standard to facilitate its rapid adoption so end users can mitigate the energy crunch in their facilities.”
While he could not individually name the companies in the process of developing products using the new standards, Lapak said all manufacturers will likely be rolling out EEE products as soon as they can. “It is very safe to say that all of the major manufacturers of this type of equipment are definitely planning on rolling this out as fast as possible,” he said.
Indeed, not only will EEE devices replace less efficient ones, but they will have an overall positive effect in other energy efficiency standards such as the EPA’s Energy Star (www.energystar.gov) program for server and data center energy efficiency, and Lapak’s team will be working to ensure that these devices meet these requirements.
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,” Lapak said. “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.
