Ethernet Alliance Will Host Interoperability Plugfests (Inluding FCoE and iSCSI)

The Ethernet Alliance Ethernet in the Data Center and Backplane Ethernet subcommittees will host interoperability plugfests at the University of New Hampshire Interoperability Lab (UNH-IOL) in Durham, NH the first week of May 2009.

The Data Center Bridging Plugfest will be held May 4-8 and provides both Ethernet Alliance members and non-members the opportunity to participate in the first data center bridging plugfest. This plugfest targets interoperability testing of Ethernet draft standards being developed by IEEE 802.1 Data Center Bridging task force that includes projects such as IEEE P802.1Qbb and IEEE P802.1Qaz. The plugfest will perform testing across a broad vendor community and will exercise data center bridging features such as Fibre Channel over Ethernet, iSCSI, and latency-sensitive applications. This interoperability testing will be used as a baseline to help define the testing criteria for certification testing targeted for later this year. Interested participants have until April 20 to express their desire to participate in this plugfest.

“The trend towards storage transport over Ethernet infrastructure drives a new wave of product development activity,” said Thomas Scheibe, President of the Ethernet Alliance. “The Ethernet Alliance takes IEEE 802 Ethernet standards to market by helping its members verify equipment interoperability and compatibility to the IEEE standards.”

The Backplane Ethernet Plugfest will also be held May 4-8 and provides both Ethernet Alliance members and non-members the opportunity to perform interoperability of equipment designed to meet IEEE Std. 802.3ap-2007. Backplane Ethernet allows transmission of serial 10 Gigabit Ethernet for up to 1 meter over passive electrical backplanes, enabling a new generation of modular platforms for enterprise networks and data centers. This plugfest targets interoperability testing of 10GBASE-KR, 10GBASE-KX4, and 1000BASE-KX and will demonstrate technology readiness to the industry. It is anticipated that this testing will become part of the Ethernet Alliance’s certification program for IEEE 802.3ap. Interested participants have until April 15 to express their desire to participate in this plugfest.