IEEE chooses two higher speeds for Ethernet

Optical Networking This newsletter is sponsored by Cisco Best Practices for Extending Your Network Architecture Access podcasts, whitepapers and more that offer best practices and principles for extending your architecture across a campus. Learn about the design principles that will transform your campus net and how to tackle the critical areas of integrated security, unified network services and more. Click here to read now! Network World's Optical Networking Newsletter, 07/30/07 IEEE chooses two higher speeds for Ethernet By Jeff Caruso Should the next standard speed of Ethernet be 40Gbps or 100Gbps? Last week the IEEE's Higher Speed Study Group finally came up with an answer: both. We saw last month how the group, which had seemed to settle on 100Gbps as the next speed for Ethernet, actually continued to be divided over whether the speed should be 40Gbps or 100Gbps. Last week's meeting was to be a crossroads; the group had to choose a path. It could split into two groups or it could just choose one speed or the other. The group chose a third option. There will be a single task force working on both speeds, which is the first time such a thing has happened. The project will include the 40Gbps rate for server and storage applications and the 100Gbps rate for aggregation. Network World LAN/WAN Buyer's Guide Find the right LAN/WAN products for your enterprise - fast. Our extensive database of detailed product information will help you quickly pinpoint what you need. With the side-by-side comparison tool you can evaluate product features and make the best decision for your enterprise. Click here to go to the Buyer's Guide now. The Ethernet Alliance issued a statement laying out the rationale for the dual-speed objectives: "The HSSG investigated the needs and requirements for the next speed of Ethernet technology. A key finding was a divergence in bandwidth demand between the networking and computing industries. It was discovered 100GbE would likely best meet the demands of the next generation Internet backbone and network aggregation points. In enterprise computing, 40GbE better matches the bandwidth demand driven by server technologies such as host bus interfaces, memory speeds, and multi-core processing." The group proposed physical-layer interfaces that would allow distances of up to 100 meters for 40Gbps and up to 40 kilometers for 100Gbps. However, by pursuing both standards in the same group, is the group biting off more than it can chew? This will be a grand experiment. Editor's Note: We regret to let you know that we will no longer be publishing the Optical Networking newsletter. The last newsletter will be mailed on Aug. 8. To keep you abreast of optical news, starting the week of Aug. 13, you will begin receiving the WAN News Alert newsletter, which mails every Wednesday and Friday. We thank you for supporting Network World newsletters.   What do you think? Post a comment on this newsletter

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Contact the author: Jeff Caruso is managing editor of online news for Network World. He oversees daily online news posting and newsletter editing, and writes the NetFlash daily news summary, the High-Speed LANs newsletter and the Voices of Networking newsletter. Contact him at jcaruso@nww.com This newsletter is sponsored by Cisco Best Practices for Extending Your Network Architecture Access podcasts, whitepapers and more that offer best practices and principles for extending your architecture across a campus. Learn about the design principles that will transform your campus net and how to tackle the critical areas of integrated security, unified network services and more. Click here to read now! ARCHIVE Archive of the Optical Networking Newsletter. BONUS FEATURE IT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today. International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007