FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — The University of New Hampshire InterOperability Lab (UNH-IOL) has begun testing Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) products to make sure they work together.
“The pre-testing process will allow [vendors] to be able to deliver new solutions in the quickest possible timeframe,” said Jeff Lapak, senior engineer for the UNH-IOL, in a statement.
Energy Efficient Ethernet, or 802.3az in IEEE terminology, is an emerging standard designed to cut down on the energy used by Ethernet networks. Standard support will enable Ethernet devices, such as switches and server cards, to enter low-power idle mode when not transmitting data in order to drastically reduce energy use.
The standard, which will complement other recent energy efficiency standards for data center gear such as servers, is expected to be finalized by next year.
Work on the standard started in 2006, when a “call for interest” was made. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory were all among early supporters of the effort.(Meanwhile, some work has been done on reducing Ethernet energy use based on existing standards, including through an Ethernet Alliance-sponsored contest back in 2008).
