Commitment to Interoperability

By John D’Ambrosia, Chairman, Ethernet Alliance

“You plug it in, and it works!”

The footprint of Ethernet end users overlays almost every industry and every market around the world. It’s a very diverse group of individuals with unique needs, goals and challenges. However, they are united in one very important way: no matter which vendor’s Ethernet switches and servers they deploy, regardless of whether they change connection medium, switch cable lengths, etc., what all Ethernet users most want and need is assurance that, when they use Ethernet, it’s going to work.

Members of the Ethernet community are familiar with the investment that is made by the industry to ensure multi-vendor interoperability.  As the global information technology (IT) community is challenged to move more quickly than ever to introduce new capabilities, the global Ethernet ecosystem also must move faster to ensure multi-vendor interoperability as standards and technologies evolve. 

Earlier this year the Ethernet Alliance hosted two events at the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) – the 40GbE and 100GbE Plugfest and the 25 Gb/s Technical Feasibility Event.  These events are the latest example of the industry’s investment in ensuring the continuation of Ethernet’s legacy of multi-vendor interoperability. 

In the days ahead, the Ethernet Alliance will be announcing the results of the 25Gb/s Technical Feasibility event.  The timing couldn’t be better, as the IEEE 802.3by 25GbE standard is preparing to enter the final stages of the standardization process.  As the industry looks ahead to the future 25GbE standard, it can be assured that the Ethernet Alliance has begun the investment in the future of Ethernet’s interoperability.  To find out more about this investment and the importance of  multi-vendor, real-world interoperability, check out the new Tech Brief from the Ethernet Alliance: Commitment to Ethernet Interoperability.