LAN Standards

Your source for the latest LAN standards news and resources.

Deploying next-generation PoE-powered networks
Sep. 21, 2009
With the ratification of the IEEE802.3at standard this month, Power over Ethernet will be ready to deliver 30W of power per port to a broad range of gear -- everything from 802.11n equipment to IP video and thin clients ...

New search engine targets Muslim Web users
Sep. 11, 2009
A new search engine, called ImHalal.com, aims to protect the sensibilities of Muslims by filtering out content that is "haram" or forbidden by the faith.

IEEE smoothes way for data center networking
Feb. 17, 2009
We've heard a lot about what companies are doing to converge networks in the data center. Today I'd like to take a quick look at some work that's being done on the standards side to enable the convergence.

Broadcom unveils 10G chips that use SFP+
Mar. 24, 2009
Broadcom this week introduced two 10 Gigabit Ethernet chips that support the SFP+ standard.

Ethernet Alliance establishes certification program
Feb. 24, 2009
The Ethernet Alliance recently announced it is starting up a certification program to identify equipment that has met certain standards.

The 802.11n ripple effect
May. 20, 2008
As wireless LAN products based on the draft of the IEEE 802.11n specification continue to emerge, enterprise network managers have to take care. You can't just go and drop 802.11n access points into your network and ...

Chelsio 10 Gigabit adapter supports Microsoft TCP Chimney
Apr. 08, 2008
Chelsio Communications this week started shipping 10-Gigabit Ethernet adapters that have a TCP/IP offload engine, or TOE, and support for Microsoft TCP Chimney.

Ethernet patent settlement is good for the industry
Jan. 24, 2008
The FTC this week reached a settlement with a company that was trying to make a few bucks off of an Ethernet autonegotiation patent it obtained from another company.

100 Gigabit Ethernet is coming - then what?
Jul. 08, 2009
The Ethernet Alliance can see the light at the end of the standards tunnel for 40 Gigabit and 100 Gigabit Ethernet, or IEEE 802.3ba, which are expected to be ratified in June 2010. But the work doesn't end there, and ...

IETF: No consensus on IPv6 NATs
Mar. 27, 2009
The Internet's leading standards body appears split on a controversial proposal to specify network address translators (NAT) for IPv6, the next-generation Internet Protocol that was designed to eliminate such middle ...

7 reasons MPLS has been wildly successful
Mar. 27, 2009
The IETF Thursday threw a birthday party for one of its most successful standards: Multi-Protocol Label Switching.

Biggest mistake for IPv6: It's not backwards compatible, developers admit
Mar. 25, 2009
The Internet engineering community says its biggest mistake in developing IPv6 - a long-anticipated upgrade to the Internet's main communications protocol - is that it lacks backwards compatibility with the existing ...

Cisco's new 11n gear boosts legacy Wi-Fi performance with beamforming
Jan. 13, 2009
Cisco is positioning its Aironet 1140 access point, with its beamforming technology to improve Wi-Fi performance, as the best way to shift to 802.11n without sacrificing legacy 11g and 11a clients.

Energy Efficient Ethernet Task Force nears Draft 1.0
Sep. 09, 2008
The IEEE's Energy Efficient Ethernet Task Force is nearing a Draft 1.0 specification, getting closer to making network communications a bit greener.

802.11n: Game-changer
Aug. 26, 2008
I've previously written about how the rise of wireless LAN equipment using the IEEE 802.11n standard is becoming a force to be reckoned with, and new data shows that the rate of migration to the new equipment is really ...

Internet2, others work on 100 Gigabit Ethernet services
Dec. 02, 2008
Internet2 is working with Infinera, Juniper Networks, Level 3 Communications and the U.S. Department of Energy's ESnet to develop and test 100 Gigabit Ethernet technologies.

Ethernet data center standards just the start
Oct. 20, 2008
Cisco and other big names are behind efforts to improve Ethernet for use in data centers. Meanwhile, pre-standard technologies have started to roll out -- along with potentially confusing marketing campaigns.

IEEE task forces move forward on Ethernet standards
Sep. 23, 2008
IEEE task forces made progress on Power over Ethernet Plus, 10G Ethernet Passive Optical Networks, Energy-Efficient Ethernet and Higher-Speed Ethernet at the 802.3 interim meetings last week.

Webcast provides primer on PoE and PoE Plus
Sep. 16, 2008
Network World has posted an interesting Webcast on Power over Ethernet, and it's a good overview of where the technology and standard are today, with a look ahead at PoE Plus.

More energy-efficient Ethernet - without the standards-making fuss
May. 08, 2008
A student has come up with a method of making Ethernet switches more energy-efficient, a method that will work with current Ethernet switches using existing standards.

IEEE advances PoE Plus spec
Apr. 01, 2008
An IEEE task force has reached a milestone in its quest to increase the power that can be delivered to devices using the Power over Ethernet standard.

Ethernet Alliance to showcase advancements
Mar. 25, 2008
The Ethernet Alliance recently announced it will be holding two "plugfests" to demonstrate the readiness of technology based on IEEE Ethernet standards. The organization also announced 15 new members, including Alcatel- ...

Energy Efficient Ethernet switches could yield competitive edge
Mar. 13, 2008
Power consumption of network equipment is becoming such a concern among users that any network gear that can address this issue will have a competitive edge, according to a recent report from analyst firm In-Stat.

Extreme embraces PBT
Mar. 11, 2008
Extreme Networks this week added PBT capabilities to its BlackDiamond 12800 series of switches.

Metcalfe talks Terabit Ethernet
Feb. 28, 2008
It's 2008. Where's my Terabit Ethernet? While such high speeds may seem far-fetched - many of us are still trying to get our brains around 100 Gigabit Ethernet - Ethernet inventor Bob Metcalfe this week wants to get ...