My TN Connection

Did you know that the amount of traffic on carrier networks is doubling every 18 months? Stephen Lawson of Network World Canada talks about this and other issues the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.) is facing in his article “IEEE Group Settles on Faster Ethernet Plans“. (free subscription required to read article in full)

For the first time in IEEE task force history, two speeds will come under one standard. The IEEE 802.3ba standard will cover 40Gbps and 100Gbps speeds and will help address the additional requirements to be faced by carriers and other server-related applications.

Lawson points out that the standard, to be completed by mid-2010, will include specifications for both speeds:

“Now a single standard, to be called IEEE 802.3ba, will include specifications for both speeds. Each will offer a selection of physical interfaces: There will be specifications for 40Gbps links up to one metre long for switch backplanes, 10 metres for copper cable and 100 metres for multimode fibre.

For 100Gbps, the group will standardize 10-metre copper links, 100-metre multimode fibre links and 10-kilometre and 40-kilometre distances on single-mode fibre.”

Looks like hardware vendors will need to start some R&D! What are your thoughts on the higher speeds and the impact it will have on networks?

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