The University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL), an independent provider of broad-based testing and standards conformance services for the networking industry, announced the launch of a new consortium for companies preparing products for the IEEE 802.3ba standard for high speed Ethernet.
The consortium is currently accepting founding member companies who will have an early opportunity to provide input into the testing process and have market ready products as the high speed Ethernet standards evolve.
As the demand for increased bandwidth continues to accelerate, the need to extend the current protocol to adapt to market needs was an imperative, says UNH-IOL. The IEEE 802.3ba Ethernet standard was ratified this past June and is the first standard to specify two new Ethernet speeds – 40 Gb/s for computing and networked storage applications and 100 Gb/s for core networking applications. The IEEE 802.3ba Task Force goal in initiating the standard was not only to handle higher speeds, but to maintain compatibility with existing devices and preserve previous investments in research and development.
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The UNH-IOL offers a variety of testing programs, or consortiums, representing a collaboration of industry leaders in network equipment, test equipment and industry forums, as well as service providers. Working together, the consortiums can decrease research and development and quality assurance expenses, reduce product time to market and drive the industry acceptance of a technology.
“As standards evolve, our on-going participation in Ethernet standards development has given us particular insights into the best ways to test products and ensure interoperability,” said Jeff Lapak, senior engineer for the UNH-IOL. “We encourage companies to get involved early to have the most impact on implementing the new standard and preparing for market adoption.”
The UNH-IOL collaborative testing model distributes the cost of performing trusted, independent testing and validation through an annual membership. The fee for participation in the 40 and 100 Gigabit Ethernet Consortium is $24K. More information on becoming a member of the 40 and 100 Gigabit Ethernet Consortium at the UNH-IOL can be found at http://www.iol.unh.edu/services/testing/ethernet/.