World's First Standard for Ethernet Specifically Directed at Power Reduction
Contact:
Karen McCabe, IEEE-SA
Marketing Director
+1 732-562-3824, k.mccabe@ieee.org
PISCATAWAY, N.J., USA 17 July 2009 -- The development of Ethernet communication standards reached a major milestone this week when the IEEE 802.3 Working Group approved forwarding the draft of the IEEE P802.3az(TM) Energy-Efficient Ethernet standard to Working Group ballot. The standard project is now on plan to meet its target September 2010 approval as a standard by the IEEE-SA Standards Board.
IEEE P802.3az(TM) will be known by its full name of "IEEE Standard for Information Technology - Telecommunications and Information Exchange Between Systems - Local and Metropolitan Area Networks - Specific Requirements Part 3: Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) Access Method and Physical Layer Specifications - Amendment: Media Access Control Parameters, Physical Layers and Management Parameters for Energy-Efficient Ethernet."
When completed, the project will extend the existing IEEE Std 802.3(TM) Ethernet standard to facilitate transition to and from lower power consumption in response to changes in network demand for twisted-pair and backplane PHYs. IEEE P802.3az(TM) will provide end-users with the ability to reduce energy used by network equipment.
"This is the first project in the history of Ethernet aimed specifically at reducing energy use," says Michael Bennett, Senior Network Engineer, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Chair, IEEE P802.3az, Energy Efficient Ethernet Task Force. "IT managers are faced with ongoing pressures to balance energy use and reduce energy costs. Reaching this milestone is an important step towards providing network designers with additional tools to reduce energy consumption."
"Market pressure and legislative action worldwide are demanding improvements in the energy efficiency of networked systems," says David Law, Consultant Engineer, 3Com and Chair for the IEEE 802.3 Working Group. "The capabilities provided by the IEEE P802.3az extension will be important as Ethernet becomes an enabler for low-duty cycle, consumer-class applications. Additionally it will enable new system-level energy management techniques that will save energy beyond the network interface."
“Consumer interest in energy efficiency is driven, in part, by initiatives such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR(R) program. This has attracted the attention of computer and network equipment manufacturers to contribute to the IEEE P802.3az standard” says Bennett. "The industry is committed to creating a sensible Energy Efficient Ethernet standard to facilitate its rapid adoption so end users can mitigate the energy crunch in their facilities."
For more information on the IEEE P802.3az Energy Efficient Ethernet Task Force,
visit http://www.ieee802.org/3/az/ .
About the IEEE Standards Association
The IEEE Standards Association, a globally recognized standards-setting body, develops
consensus standards through an open process that engages industry and brings together a
broad stakeholder community. IEEE standards set specifications and best practices based
on current scientific and technological knowledge. The IEEE-SA has a portfolio of more than 900 active standards and more than 400 standards under development. For information on the IEEE-SA, see: http://standards.ieee.org.
About the IEEE
IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.), the world's largest technical professional society, is commemorating its 125th anniversary in 2009 by "Celebrating 125 Years of Engineering the Future" around the globe. Through its more than 375,000 members in 160 countries, IEEE is a leading authority on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. Dedicated to the advancement of technology, IEEE publishes 30 percent of the world's literature in the electrical and electronics engineering and computer science fields, and has developed over 900 active industry standards. The organization annually sponsors more than 850 conferences worldwide. Additional information about IEEE can be found at http://www.ieee.org.
