Jun 21, 2010

As an amendment to IEEE 802.3 base standard, IEEE Std. 802.3ba specifies the technology and requirements for the development of higher speed Ethernet components and systems that operate at 40 and 100 gigabits per second.

The new standard describes a single architecture capable of supporting both 40 Gigabit Ethernet (40GbE) and 100 Gigabit Ethernet (100GbE), along with physical layer specifications for communication across backplanes, copper cabling, multimode fiber and singlemode fiber.

During the study group phase of the project, it became clear that the bandwidth demand in switches and aggregation points was outpacing the demand in servers and end stations; therefore, the group took on the creation of two speeds, 40GbE and 100GbE, utilizing building blocks developed by 10 Gigabit Ethernet. The study group transitioned to become the IEEE P802.3ba task force in December 2007 with the goal to create a draft standard. On June 17, the effort culminated with the ratification of the draft standard by the IEEE-SA Standards Board.

“Every jump in Ethernet speed has helped to meet the ever-growing bandwidth demands being placed upon the networking industry, and the ratification of the 40GbE and 100GbE standard is no different,” stated John D’Ambrosia, chair, IEEE P802.3ba 40Gb/s and 100Gb/s Ethernet Task Force, and director, Ethernet-based Standards of the CTO Office for Force10 Networks. “From the incubation of the initial effort, to getting a study group launched, to its role in helping the industry reach consensus during key critical moments of the project, the Ethernet Alliance was there. I would like to thank the Ethernet Alliance and its membership for their significant contributions to this historic moment.”