Just how scalable is Ethernet‾ Well last year after an evaluation by Iometrix, (the lab used to certify Carrier Ethernet products and services for the MEF) Extreme Networks announced that its BlackDiamond 12K multidimensional Ethernet switch had demonstrated Carrier Ethernet scalability of up to 16 million users in what was claimed as the industry's first test of MAC-in-MAC encapsulation technology.
'The last hurdle for Ethernet to effectively meet the demands of service provider networks is scalability,' said Bob Mandeville, founder and president of Iometrix. 'Until Ethernet can effectively scale to support hundreds of thousands of users, it will not be a legitimate solution at the core. This test, the first of its kind, has shown that MAC-in-MAC and Extreme Networks' implementation of multidimensional Ethernet delivered that scalability.'
Ethernet is also getting ferociously faster. Some see the desktop adoption of Gigabit Ethernet as imminent, with 10-Gigabit Ethernet eventually becoming widespread in the backbone or core. There's much discussion about the potential market for 40-Gigabit Ethernet and the IEEE has endorsed work on 100-Gigabit Ethernet.
In practice, 100-Gigabit demos are already underway. Last November, a team of organizations including Finisar, Infinera, Internet2, Level 3 Communications and the University of California at Santa Cruz, mounted a demonstration of 100-Gb Ethernet that showed the technology was viable and capable of implementation in existing optical networks with 10-Gbps wavelengths. This trial also highlighted how next-generation technology could address the emerging bandwidth needs of network providers and their users as advanced Internet-based applications continue to proliferate.
The system successfully transmitted a 100-Gb Ethernet signal from Tampa, Florida to Houston, Texas, and back again, over ten 10 Gbps channels through the Level 3 network. This was the first time a 100-Gb Ethernet signal has been successfully transmitted through a live production network.
'This successful demonstration shows that this concept of 100-Gb Ethernet over 10 x 10 Gbps DWDM works and provides a near future implementation path,' said Dr. Daryl Inniss, VP of Ovum-RHK's Communication Components research.
Tunnel visionaries
Something of a contest for the hearts, minds and wallets of Carrier Ethernet service providers is developing between the proponents of two tunneling mechanisms that are intended to make Ethernet 'connection-oriented' without sacrificing its scalability, reliability or manageability.
In one corner, backed by the likes of Nortel and Extreme Networks, sits Provider Backbone Transport (PBT). In the other is Transport-MultiProtocol Label Switching (T-MPLS) which has been worked on by companies such as Alcatel-Lucent, Huawei and Tellabs.
According to Nortel, PBT adds the deterministic service delivery with carrier-grade resiliency that until now was missing from Carrier Ethernet networks. Company officials note that by using PBT, operators can create Ethernet paths that reserve necessary bandwidth and support the provisioned quality of service (QoS) metrics that guarantee service level agreements (SLAs) will be met.
However, Extreme Networks has a different view. 'PBT offers three key benefits in Carrier Ethernet networks,' says Peter Lunk, director of service provider marketing at the company. 'First, is the de-layering of the network, a simplified approach to building and managing Carrier Ethernet networks.