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The Higher Speed Study Group has made a decision about how the next generation of Ethernet speeds will be standardized, and for the first time, a single standard will comprise two very different speeds.
Ethernet has come a long way since Xerox PARC engineer Bob Metcalfe invented the networking system back in 1974. Back then it was merely another networking standard among many, and few thought it would defeat established standards such as IBM's Token Ring. Metcalfe left Xerox to found 3Com and promote Ethernet as a new standard, bumping the original 3Mbps (megabits per second) speeds to 10Mbps, which was considered fast for the time. Now, as 1Gbps networks are becoming standard, the Higher Speed Study Group (HSSG) has approved a Project Authorization Request (PAR) for a new standard, dubbed IEEE 802.3ba, which will propel Ethernet to speeds up to 100Gbps.
Arstechnica wrote:
Initially, there were multiple possible speeds discussed for the standard: 40, 80, 100, and 120Gbps were all possible options. Eventually these were boiled down to just two, but after that the HSSG reached an impasse. HSSG chair John D'Ambrosia told PC World that although he "wouldn't say there was a fight, I would say there was an education going on, and it got heated at times." There were two different groups that wanted two different standards: members who were interested in faster server-to-switch applications wanted 40Gbps, whereas other members who were more interested in developing a more robust network backbone favored the higher 100Gbps speed.
In the end, unable to come up with a consensus, the HSSG decided to standardize both the 40Gbps and 100Gbps speeds as part of the IEEE 802.3ba spec, with connection equipment for speed having different physical specifications. 40Gbps links can be up to one meter long for switch backplanes, 10 meters for copper cable and 100 meters for fiber optics. The 100Gbps spec will add specifications for 10- and 40-kilometer links over single-mode fiber. The feasibility of 100Gbps Ethernet transmissions was successfully tested back in November of last year.
According to D'Ambrosia, this is the first time that an Ethernet standards group has approved two different speeds for a single standard. If the IEEE approves the spec, the standard may be fully completed by 2010, with devices and equipment that supports it expected to follow shortly thereafter.
The higher speed would require more expensive and power-hungry equipment, some of which was detailed in a presentation (PDF) given by D'Ambrosia to the Internet2 Member Meeting last fall.
Presentation at internet2.edu/presentations (PDF)
The higher speed would require more expensive and power-hungry equipment
Other related issues for higher speed are mentioned in the quote below:
Quote:
The constant demand for higher speed has turned electronic enclosures into Pizza ovens. Considering the market's insatiable appetite for speed, systems have become smaller and smaller while being constrained by limited space, acoustic noise and cost competitiveness. With the industry direction heading towards the so-called “System-on-Chip,” the cooling for these systems has become a major constraint in product development. In parallel, an area that is commonly overlooked is the issue of required power to energize the silicon-world and its delivery around the globe. Moreover, the need for quality power is becoming a major point of contention since many high-speed electronics require the so-called “premium” power to function flawlessly.
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