Ethernet networks are a popular local area solution, but can
they deliver citywide or even nationally? And how is the technology
evolving to meet future needs? Telecoms and IT writer Guy Matthews
questions Phil Tilley from the Metro Ethernet Forum.
Operators of major backbone and local access networks are
continuing to migrate services towards Ethernet and away from
services based on legacy standards. There’s also wide agreement in
the communications industry that both the growing volumes of data
now carried by networks and the pressure to converge different
types of traffic onto the same pipe are combining to make
carrier-grade Ethernet (as distinct from Ethernet in its more
traditional LAN form) the only serious option to satisfy both
current and future needs.
At end user-level, Ethernet networks best serve the needs of
both consumers and enterprises for faster throughput of data.
Consumers require video streamed over the internet, while
corporations need to send data securely over long distances. Such
demands drive up bandwidth requirements, which in turn are most
efficiently met by Ethernet networks.
Tried and tested as a fully-fledged carrier-class product,
Ethernet has already gone through a second phase of evolution to
make it easier for service providers to manage and deploy. It’s
currently undergoing a third phase aimed at making it fully
ubiquitous, facilitating seamless interconnectivity between
different operators’ Ethernet networks.
Any questions?
At all points of its evolution, Ethernet has been shaped and
formed through the work of the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) standards
body. Here, we talk to Phil Tilley from the MEF to find out what
Ethernet really delivers today as a wide area technology, and how
it’s evolving to meet future needs.
Q: Ethernet is well known as a local area technology,
but how does it measure up for more widely distributed connectivity
needs, across a city, nationally or even
internationally?
Tilley: Ethernet is ideal for supporting connectivity at high
speed. It also allows for tremendous flexibility in bandwidth, as
appropriate for transmission speeds of 1Mb or 2Mb per second as for
1Gb per second. Ethernet is not only simple and flexible, but also
highly cost effective when connecting two or more sites together,
wherever they are.
Q: How might Ethernet profit a solution provider like a
systems integrator?
Tilley: For an SI, it involves the same basic LAN Ethernet they are
used to, but at carrier-grade level, offering them the ability to
add in the necessary quality of service for their customers.
Networks can be scaled and used for handling many different types
of traffic, when backed with a good service level
agreement.
Any SI used to working with a technology like Frame Relay will
be used to the sort of service levels and reporting they can now
get with Ethernet.
With Ethernet, an SI can easily put together a network offering
in which they look after the routers and things like
interconnection with the data centre and data security. It’s ideal
for that. They can take a big Ethernet pipe and add networking
equipment on top, allowing them to provide value for the client.
They can source the actual connectivity from a network operator as
a managed service.
SIs should note that if they are buying connectivity from a
third party network operator, then the MEF has a questionnaire to
help them tick off the things they should look for.
Q: What progress is being made by the MEF on technical
standards - and how does the standards process work?
Tilley: The MEF has recently embarked on a global programme to
standardise the interconnection of Ethernet networks. We’re
defining not only the specifications but also the processes and
tools that operators will need to make their networks connect with
each other in a standard way. By early 2010 there should be one
universal definition for an Ethernet Network to Network Interface
(ENNI). All Ethernet networks today interconnect at a proprietary
level, meaning that there is a need for extended discussions
between providers to agree upon what can be supported prior to a
connection being made.
The standards process aims to come to common consensus and
therefore proposals must be circulated among many different people,
and their numerous comments worked into the standard. This can take
a little while, but by the time approval is achieved, everyone is
aware of it and can implement rapidly.
Q: In a nutshell, what does a technical adviser need to
understand about where Ethernet is heading as a
technology?
Tilley: The key message is this - Ethernet is here today and
widely available. You can get access to an Ethernet network from
anywhere in the UK. It’s been proven to be robust and reliable. Its
track record shows that it’s fit for purpose as a commercial
technology, and is a highly attractive option for any high
bandwidth service.
* Phil Tilley is MEF EMEA Marketing Co-Chair, and Vice President
of Regional Marketing with equipment vendor Alcatel-Lucent’s IP
Group.
The MEF is a global industry alliance comprised of more than 120
organisations, from telecoms service providers to software vendors.
It’s dedicated to worldwide awareness of the benefits of Ethernet
services and networks.
Further reading
Find out more about the MEF at their official website.
http://metroethernetforum.org/
Network solutions website Onestopclick describes how Ethernet
circuits ‘bring benefits in industrial settings’.
http://networking.onestopclick.com/technology_news/ethernet-circuits-bring-benefits-in-industrial-settings_19368130.htm
The Institution of Engineering and Technology report on the 2009
Ethernet Expo Europe.
http://kn.theiet.org/comment/infotech/car-ether.cfm
*Virgin Media Business is not responsible for the content of
external websites.
