At-A-Glance
Conference Information
The Ethernet Technology Summit focuses on the use of Ethernet throughout the networking space. This includes the emergence of 10-Gigabit Ethernet as a key LAN technology on the desktop and in data centers. It also covers the ongoing standardization effort for 40-Gigabit and 100-Gigabit Ethernet. It also includes the use of Ethernet as a carrier backbone and transport method, as well as in wireless, industrial, embedded, and storage applications. To meet carrier needs, the Ethernet ecosystem must include quality-of-service guarantees, management tools (so-called operations, administration, and management or OAM), performance analysis, high availability, scalability, security, and service-level agreements. Other topics of interest include low power systems, power-over-Ethernet, Ethernet as a home networking technology, backplane Ethernet, and embedded Ethernet.
Why Should YOU Attend the Ethernet Technology Summit
- Get the latest information on new specifications for 40/100 GbE, Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE), and energy-efficient Ethernet,
- Find out about the first products that will meet the new specs or help developers work with them,
- Ask questions of the experts who are writing the specs and defining or developing the initial products,
- Get the latest Ethernet market research including the effects of the economic downturn,
- Hear about new technologies for data and telecom centers, including 10GbE over copper, data center Ethernet, carrier Ethernet, and Ethernet security.
Program - The Ethernet Technology Summit will provide attendees with practical information on the current state of Ethernet, the world’s most widely used networking technology. The Summit consists of:
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Typical topics of interest include:
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Intended Audience:
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Issues
Ethernet Advantages: As the most common LAN technology, Ethernet is widely used and understood. Standards are managed through IEEE (IEEE 802), and work on new standards proceeds continously. Chips, parts, boards (particularly local area network adapters called network interface cards or NICs), and expertise are all widely available. The Ethernet ecosystem is large and has many significant players, such as Cisco Systems, Intel, Broadcom, Marvell, Alcatel-Lucent, Nortel, Hewlett-Packard, and Ericsson. Trade groups such as the Ethernet Alliance and Metro Ethernet Forum are very active and promote education, testing, and certification.
Challenges Facing Ethernet: Need for higher speed with 100-Gigabit Ethernet on the horizon, need for management, quality assurance, and security tools as Ethernet moves into service provider networks, reducing power usage, increasing bandwidth (Ethernet typically has a large amount of overhead and hence offers much lower bandwidth than the speed indicates, often a factor of 10 less); need for software to handle storage-over-Ethernet and new approaches such as Fibre Channel over Ethernet.
Major Issues: Higher speed, higher effective bandwidth, lower power consumption, quality-of-service, security, management tools, test equipment, certification
What the experts are saying about Ethernet Technology
| “FCoE, which combines the best of both worlds of Fibre Channel’s SAN predominance and Ethernet’s LAN predominance, is once again the newest addition to the long history of network technologies
due to Ethernet’s powerful installed base as a physical network medium. Ethernet continues to preserve network infrastructure investments by virtue of continuous innovation while staying true to its massive client base.” – Skip Jones , Chairman FCIA |
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| “10-Gbit Ethernet shipments doubled last year and will double again for the next two years.” – Bechtolsheim, Cisco Systems, September 2009 |
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| “By 2011–2012, the majority of access and aggregation equipment being deployed by carriers around the world will be IP, Ethernet, and WDM, not SONET/SDH. In 2007 and especially in 2008, we’re seeing more carriers using Ethernet, and more carriers conducting interoperability tests of all sorts of Ethernet products for residential broadband, business connections, and mobile backhaul.” - Michael Howard, Infonetics Research, May 2008 |
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| “FCoE and 10GbE are going to cut network infrastructure costs virtually in half.” – David Vellante, The Wikibon Project, December 2009 |
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| “As the use of bandwidth-hungry applications and services increases, the Ethernet Switch market continues to remain very robust. As new networks require higher security and additional features, equipment manufacturers have the opportunity to deliver faster, more intelligent switches.” – Dell’Oro Group, June 2008 | ||
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| “Ethernet technology is currently the most deployed technology for high-performance LAN environments. Enterprises around the world have invested cabling, equipment, processes, and training in Ethernet.” – Intel White Paper, 2007 |
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| “Today, Ethernet is the grand unifying technology that enables communication of multiple forms of content voice, video and data via the Internet and other networks using Internet Protocol (IP).” – Brad Booth, AMCC, 2006 |
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| “Due to Ethernet's proven low implementation cost, its known reliability, and relative simplicity of installation and maintenance, its popularity has grown to the point that today nearly all traffic on the Internet starts or ends on an Ethernet connection.” – Brad Booth, AMCC, 2006 |
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| “Terabit Ethernet networks are coming. But it’s not clear exactly when. And it’s less clear what network architectures will be needed to enable them.” – Bob Metcalfe, Polaris Ventures, March 2008 (inventor of Ethernet). |
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Summit Hours
| Day/Date | Registration | Conference | Exhibits |
| Wednesday, February 24th | 7:30am-7:00pm | 8:30am-8:30pm | Noon-2:00pm & 5:00-7:00pm |
| Thursday, February 25th | 7:30am-5:00pm | 8:30am-5:00pm | Noon-2:00pm |
