Representatives of technology firms such as Broadcom, Cisco Systems and others are expected to ratify a low-power Ethernet standard that could cut energy use 60 percent or more in basic networking functions.
The ratification of 802.3az is anticipated on Sept. 30 after four years of work, says Wael William Diab, a technical director at Broadcom and vice-chair of the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet working group. The standard will allow chip and gear makers to put physical layer, or PHY, circuits into a sleep mode during the microseconds between packet transmissions.
Physical layer connections are the most basic in networking equipment, primarily handling the streaming of raw digital “bits” among devices. Diab said the introduction of a PHY-level idle mode should enable equipment makers to simultaneously turn off other parts of a router, switch or gateway, leading to more power savings.
Broadcom already has pre-standard products in the market.
The challenge to completing the standard was finding an effective way to awaken gear when packet traffic resumes. The energy-saving feature will be incorporated in new, not existing, equipment.
Posted by Mark Boslet 
