LAN Standards

Your source for the latest LAN standards news and resources.

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 ...

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.

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 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.

Broadcom touts lower power draw of 802.11n WLAN chip
Apr. 24, 2008
Chipmaker Broadcom has announced a new 802.11n chip that promises lower power demands and prices for enterprise-class wireless LAN access points.

FCoE's 10Gbit/sec should be in your future
Apr. 05, 2008
It's highly likely that, if you follow the comings and goings of storage networking technology, then by now you've at least heard of the emerging Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) standard working its way through the ...

Most switches help in complying with secure management best practices
Mar. 24, 2008
In assessing switch management and security, we sought to answer three questions: Did devices follow current best practices by default? Could users configure switches to follow these best practices? And could switches ...

Belkin intros N1 Vision wireless router
Mar. 19, 2008
Belkin Asia Pacific announced the launch of the N1 Vision wireless router in India. Offering an extended operating range of 1600 feet, the N1 Vision wireless router facilitates plug-and-play "CD-less" installation and ...

Analyst endorses Siemens' 802.11n power claims
Mar. 10, 2008
A leading wireless analyst has vindicated Siemens' surprising claims to have cracked an 802.11n problem which has stumped other Wi-Fi vendors. But how Siemens achieved its feat remains secret.

Ruckus does 2.4GHz-only business 802.11n
Mar. 07, 2008
Ruckus Wireless has launched enterprise wireless LAN equipment that complies with the emerging 802.11n standard - but is reserving its dual-band equipment for service providers for now.

40Gbps and 100Gbps Ethernet in 2016
Feb. 14, 2008
In the year 2016, today's nascent 40Gbps and 100Gbps Ethernet efforts will result in a $4.3 billion market, according to a recent forecast from research firm CIR.

Standardization work on next Ethernet gets under way
Jan. 15, 2008
The IEEE's Higher Speed Study Group has hit an important milestone and next week will meet for the first time in a new form.

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 ...

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.

IETF, ITU form first-of-kind group to resolve MPLS spat
Feb. 28, 2008
The Internet's leading standards bodies have joined forces to clarify a set of next-generation network transport specifications that critics warned could cause massive interoperability problems for service providers.

Users warned on inefficient switches
Feb. 28, 2008
D-Link has introduced business-targeted desktop Ethernet switches that include its Green Ethernet technology, which detects inactive ports and short cables, and throttles its transmit power accordingly. The company ...

Monster Cisco 802.11n wireless net planned at Duke
Feb. 20, 2008
Duke University is the latest school to take the 802.11n wireless LAN plunge. It plans to upgrade the campus network with 2,500 Cisco 11n access points.

D-Link unveils DIR-300 router
Feb. 12, 2008
D-Link has launched DIR-300, which is an entry-level Wireless G router for home and small office users. With DIR-300, users can share a broadband Internet connection with multiple computers by simply connecting it to a ...

TCP/IP, technology, and the turf wars
Jan. 31, 2008
In continuing our commentary on TCP/IP's 25th birthday, today we'll look at a few more of the reasons why TCP/IP has had a gradual growth curve to become the de facto networking standard.

SONET to fade as 40G Ethernet flourishes
Jan. 15, 2008
U.S. analysts CIR have predicted that new Ethernet standards on the way will kill off SONET by 2016, just eight years away, and that 40Gps Ethernet will be the mid-term winner ahead of 100G Ethernet.

Backplane Ethernet standard approved
Apr. 24, 2007
The IEEE Standards Association recently approved a standard for backplane Ethernet, to be called 802.3ap.

Next-generation LANs, branches under consideration
Oct. 23, 2007
Experts lay out next-generation LAN, branch office network needs