Ethernet Alliance^® Announces Updates from IEEE 802.3^™ Task Force Interim Meetings

10G EPON, Energy-Efficient Ethernet, Higher Speed Ethernet and POE Plus

Task Forces Continue to Make Progress on Emerging Standards

Mountain View, CA – September 22, 2008 – The Ethernet Alliance today announced the following updates from the IEEE 802.3 interim meetings held September 15-19, 2008 in Seoul, Korea:

IEEE P802.3at (POE Plus)

The IEEE P802.3at task force has approved the creation of IEEE P802.3at/Draft 3.2 for Enhanced Power over Ethernet (POE Plus).  During the interim meeting, the task force reviewed over 240 comments that were submitted on the IEEE 802.3 working group recirculation ballot.  Standard ratification is expected to occur in the second half of 2009.

IEEE P802.3av (10G EPON)

The IEEE P802.3av task force has approved the creation of IEEE P802.3av/Draft 2.1 for 10 Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Networks (10G EPON).  During the interim meeting, the task force reviewed an impressive 742 comments submitted against the draft reviewed during the initial IEEE 802.3 working group ballot.  Standard ratification is expected to occur in the second half of 2009.

IEEE P802.3az (Energy-Efficient Ethernet)

The IEEE P802.3az task force has approved the creation of IEEE P802.3az/Draft 1.0 for technical review. This task force expects to complete standard ratification in early 2010.

IEEE P802.3ba (Higher Speed Ethernet)

The IEEE P802.3ba task force has approved the generation of IEEE P802.3ba/Draft 1.0. With this approval, the task force will enter the task force review stage. The task force expects to complete standard ratification in mid-2010.

The Ethernet Alliance supports the IEEE task forces through its various technical subcommittees.  Subcommittee members have the opportunity to collaborate on technical proposals for the IEEE task forces and to promote the benefits of these technologies through:

• Private interoperability test events
• Technology demonstrations at industry events
• Webinars
• Industry conference speakerships
• White Papers

To view a sample of recent white papers from the Ethernet Alliance, including a recent interoperability demonstration white paper written by the Small Form Factor Pluggable Module/Electronic Dispersion Compensation (SFP+/EDC) subcommittee, visit http://www.ethernetalliance.org/library/white-papers.html.

Following is background information on the POE Plus, 10G EPON, Energy-Efficient Ethernet and Higher Speed Ethernet task forces:

• IEEE P802.3at (POE Plus): The task force was created in November 2004 to address market demands for increased power capabilities and will be compatible with the existing Power over Ethernet standard – IEEE Std. 802.3af™-2003.  The P802.3at task force is defining a method to increase the power being transmitted over Category 5 or better cabling.  This technology enables the next generation of network appliances such as Ethernet-power wireless access points, security camera and IP phones.

• IEEE P802.3av (10G EPON): This  task force was created in September 2006 to address market demands for more bandwidth-intensive applications and services, and when ratified, will be compatible with existing 1G EPON. The focus of the P802.3av task force is to define a new physical layer to specify both asymmetric and symmetric line-rate operations. Asymmetric operations will operate at 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) downstream and 1GbE upstream, while symmetric operations will use 10GbE for both downstream and upstream directions. For both scenarios, downstream transmission takes advantage of mass deployed 10GbE point-to-point devices.

• IEEE P802.3az (Energy-Efficient Ethernet): The P802.3az task force was created in July 2007 to define a solution for reducing energy consumption in Ethernet networks during periods of low utilization. Draft 1.0 marks the first major milestone in developing the standard.  Energy-Efficient Ethernet introduces a new Low-Power Idle state that enables systems to reduce power consumption between transmission periods without inhibiting high-speed communications.  It also provides a method to optionally negotiate the wake or resume time from low-power idle, allowing systems to safely enter deeper sleep states to save additional power.  With this technology, energy consumption will be more directly proportional to bandwidth utilization, unlike today’s Ethernet devices which are often designed for maximum capacity and consume power at levels that are independent of the utilization rate or traffic load.

• IEEE P802.3ba (Higher Speed Ethernet):  The Higher Speed study group was created in July 2006 to evaluate Ethernet speeds greater than 10 Gb/s. The study group formally became a task force in December 2007 with {an agreed upon} project encompassing a 40GbE rate for server and storage applications and a 100GbE rate for network aggregation.  Draft 1.0 is the first step in the process to generating a standard.  This technology is expected to provide next generation networks with the ability to handle the growing demands for bandwidth.   

About Ethernet Alliance

The Ethernet Alliance is dedicated to promoting industry awareness, acceptance, and advancement of technology and products based on existing and emerging IEEE 802^® Ethernet standards. The organization’s mission is to accelerate industry adoption and remove barriers to market entry by providing a cohesive, market-responsive industry voice on IEEE 802 Ethernet projects. For more information about the Ethernet Alliance, visit www.ethernetalliance.org.

To learn more about the benefits of membership and what it means to be a member of the Ethernet Alliance, visit www.ethernetalliance.org/join.

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