It's easy to forget this in an era of purpose-built broadband IP data networks, but the original notion of Convergence was actually to put more and more data traffic onto telephone lines including channelized T1s and dial-up connections. 56-kbps dial-up modems were introduced in 1995, offering unprecedented wide area dial-up speeds. During that period, enterprise managers were wrestling with numerous concurrent network technologies such as NetWare, DECnet, and SDLC (on the same LANs) while exploring new WAN solutions such as frame relay, FDDI, and ATM.
Throughout this time, there were few constants in communications. The ones that rise to the top are the increasing power and decreasing cost of computing. The result was more and faster computers needing more and faster networks.
Another constant through this period is Ethernet technology, which continues to defy the latter part of the technology life cycle by continuous rebirth. Xerox likely had no idea what Ethernet's potential was when they invented it around 1975.
Ethernet doesn't really get much glory. It plays the role of an unsung hero in many ways. It does have battle scars, mainly from Token Ring, a competing networking protocol championed by IBM in the late 1980s. Token ring was an orderly solution--one of "protocol" and sequence--a royal wedding of sorts. In comparison, Ethernet is a college party--collisions and best efforts are its norm.
But Ethernet has been an enterprise mainstay longer than any other current networking technology. It first arrived with coaxial cable and BNC connectors, and graduated to twisted pair and hubs in the '90s. By 2000, 100-Mbps switched connections were common (and still are), though most new computers now support Gigabit speeds.
But Ethernet networks are not limited to specific speeds or media; they include 3G/4G, WLAN, LAN, data center, and cloud. Alternative networking technologies are used merely to extend or interconnect Ethernet networks. Ethernet, together with TCP/IP, created a powerful duopoly for modern networking, ranging from mobile phones to mainframes. Ethernet has attracted platforms (UNIX, Windows, Apple, etc.) as well as applications (voice, video, even telemetry). It's hard to imagine all the competing and alternative networking solutions previously required.
And its growth continues: phones, surveillance cameras, control systems, even HVAC are shedding proprietary signaling systems. In the home, Ethernet networks are expanding to appliances, televisions, and stereos. The mobile craze contributes to the trend; WLAN access points are migrating from being hubs to being switches, and feeding every wireless network is wired Ethernet--that's a lot of locations even if you just count the coffee houses. The only real threat to its expansion was the impending shortage of TCP/IP addresses, but IPv6 aims to thwart that disaster by expanding the address portion from 32 bits to 128, which should last us another millennium or so.
Despite its ability to win over every type of connected device, every computing manufacturer, and every application, Ethernet receives very little love. CIO priority surveys include topics like social networking, cloud, tablets, security, UC, etc.--all enabled by Ethernet, yet network infrastructure rarely gets top billing--always a bridesmaid.
Even lowly switch makers consider themselves software vendors now, and for good reason. Network infrastructure is busting out of the confines of the OSI model's lowest layers.
Consider device-aware networks that improve security and service levels. For example, a miscreant may slyly "borrow" a printer's connection to gain network access when no one is looking. But an intelligent network could detect such a breach by recognizing that the encroaching device is not a printer, and shut down the port. This type of port appropriation crime is a bigger threat than it used to be, since Ethernet ports are now everywhere--even outside (for cameras).
Device-aware networks can also improve quality of service for voice. Now, VLANs don't have to be manual or subject to DHCP tricks, but can be implemented with device aware networks that simply recognize IP phones. If it's a phone, then provide it with love and care; otherwise, high latency.
Switches can also provide role-based security. User validation is typically associated with applications, but simpler roles at the network level can grant or deny access to applications and servers. Three simple roles--Employee, Contractor, and Unauthenticated--can significantly improve security and deliver differentiated access rights. Unauthenticated is ideal for visitors that only need access to the public Internet. Contractors may require access to specific file servers, but no access to email and CRM systems, while Employees can gain access to all services.
Power management and sustainability are another area where modern Ethernet can provide a helping hand. The PoE standard 802.3af was approved in 2003. At first just some ports on a switch were PoE, then came all ports but not at once, followed by all ports at once. Now a new standard, 802.3at, is gaining traction, bringing nearly double the power; enough for PTZ cameras.
Paul Hooper, VP Corporate Marketing at Extreme Networks, cited the fact that the carbon footprint of the IT industry now surpasses that of the airline industry. Since IP phones don't have a power save mode, he suggested network switches could power-down IP phones after hours. To address safety and liability for late night visitors, surveillance cameras detecting motion could trigger the switches to restore power. The savings (dollars and carbon) can be significant.
Wireless technologies are clearly one of the highest-growth areas in networking. Expectations and supported devices for 802.11n continue to skyrocket largely due to smartphones. Most enterprise WLAN solutions use a combined wired and wireless strategy to control access points using distributed controllers around the network. One of the big benefits of this approach is the ability to both identify and contain unauthorized (rogue) wireless devices. Aerohive offers managed controller-less wireless solutions that form centrally managed "hives". They cooperate through both wired and wireless technologies to coordinate services and features.
The data center also benefits from newer network technologies. Both virtualization and cloud technologies introduce new networking challenges. With the old model, IP addresses were logical and MAC addresses were physical--switches learn to associate the two. However, a key benefit of abstraction due to virtualization is the ability to dynamically distribute resources and instances--but the downside is that this can create MAC address havoc. The solution: the new model treats MAC addresses as a logical element and can "move" them accordingly .
In large data centers, bigger benefits come from network gear supporting mesh technologies. Most data centers use a three-tier model--edge, aggregators, and core--optimized for hierarchical (north-south) traffic. The problem is that cloud centers are increasing traffic between servers (east-west), requiring faster mesh solutions. Alcatel-Lucent won this month's Best of Interop award thanks largely to its unprecedented fabric capacities. The density, value, and latency of these kinds of products bring data centers (and Ethernet) to a whole new level.
Ethernet is alive and well and that's a good thing, considering how much more we are using it. New vendors and established leaders are offering innovation and cost performance increases that are keeping up with our appetite for more bandwidth. Terms like 100-Gigabit Ethernet and Metro Ethernet probably didn't come up much at Xerox Parc in its heyday--and exactly what lies ahead is unfathomable,. But even as Ethernet approaches 40, it sure doesn't appear to be slowing.
