Energy Efficient Ethernet

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Energy Efficient Ethernet describes a series of extensions to the Ethernet standard for computer networks that reduce power consumption in phases of little or no activity. These measures were initiated by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and ratified as the IEEE 802.3az standard in September 2010 . In the run-up to the development, some device manufacturers pushed similar developments, which are marketed under the name Green Ethernet .

Possible savings

In the course of the meanwhile widespread use of Ethernet-based computer networks, the question of the energy consumption of the devices and components used for this increasingly arises. Studies suggest that a significant reduction in power consumption and energy costs can be achieved in existing IT infrastructures by using more efficient network components.

concept

Normally, Ethernet ICs remain active in the relevant devices even if there is currently no data traffic. In order to reduce the energy requirement, the transceiver can be put into an economical sleep mode by means of a low-power-idle (LPI) signal. When data transmission is pending, the port is switched back to the active state by a wake-up signal. Since the ports are idle most of the time in standard installations, this should significantly reduce the average energy requirement. In order to achieve savings, all components involved must master these functions provided in the standard, but Energy Efficient Ethernet is downward compatible with existing devices.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ IEEE ratifies new 802.3az standard to reduce network energy footprint - Lightwave
  2. ↑ Prachi Patel: Energy-Efficient Ethernet: Ethernet connections waste lots of watts. It need not be so . In: IEEE Spectrum , Spectrum.ieee.org, May 1, 2008. Retrieved December 24, 2017. 

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