The draft proposal for IEEE 802.3 Ethernet protocols that will support the increase of Ethernet network operating speeds to 40 Gbps and beyond to 100 Gbps has been approved; final approval should come next June.
Separately, the IEEE has formed a new study group to investigate how IEEE 802.16 wireless metropolitan area network (MAN) technologies can be used to support Smart Grid, public safety, avionics, airport surface communication and surveillance applications.
On the Ethernet front, the IEEE 802 Executive Committee approved forwarding the draft of the next higher-speed Ethernet standard for Sponsor balloting, the final of two stages of balloting. Then the draft standard will be submitted for approval as an IEEE standard.
IEEE P802.3ba will be known as (take a deep breath) the “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 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s Operation.”
The project is to provide for the interconnection of equipment satisfying the distance requirements identified for network aggregation and computing applications.
In addition, a related standard, the International Telecommunication Union’s Telecommunication Standardization Sector Recommendation G.709, “Interfaces for the optical transport network (OTN),” is being revised to support transport of 40 Gbps and 100 Gbps Ethernet over the OTN and is on track for approval by the end of 2009.
“IEEE and ITU-T have formed a liaison relationship in the development of these standards, which is helping to speed the development of both standards,” said David Law, chair of the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet Working Group.
The group looking into the possibility of uniting MAN protocols and Smart Grid technology, meanwhile, has adopted a name that leads to a nice, easy acronym; it’s the Greater Reliability In Disrupted Metropolitan Area Networks (Gridman) Study Group.
The Gridman group said it will endeavor to develop a project authorization request (PAR) and supporting material for approval by IEEE 802 at the March 2010 IEEE 802 session. The work follows previous work done in an IEEE 802.16 ad hoc committee on “Network Robustness and Reliability” (NRR).
