BEAVERTON, USA: The Ethernet Alliance, a global consortium for the advancement of Ethernet, completed Data Center Bridging (DCB) interoperability plugfest, at an event in the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL), recently.

"DCB is enabling the convergence of traditional Ethernet and storage traffic on one, lossless Ethernet cable. This interoperability testing confirms that the standards are complete and we have products that create an eco-system of solutions that are ready to be deployed,” said Joy Jiang of JDSU, chair of the DCB Plugfest.

Also Read: Cisco expands Data Centre 3.0 strategy

The latest in a series of Ethernet Alliance-sponsored plugfests, it was dedicated to the testing of DCB technologies per IEEE 802.1Qxx standards. With various network topologies and interconnect technologies, the testing involved a diverse array of member companies, including CommScope Inc., Dell, Emulex, Extreme Networks, Intel Corporation, Ixia, JDSU, Nexans S.A, and Panduit Corp., and SANBlaze Technology etc.

During the event an end-to-end DCB network via the IEEE 802.1Q standard DCBX protocol was construction.

The network was backward compatible with the pre-IEEE DCBX protocol, and the first publicly run, lossless Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) and Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) over DCB traffic via 10GBase-T interconnection.

“The efforts to educate and accelerate new technology development and adoption provide confidence to both industries and consumers,” said Sunil Ahluwalia, chair, Ethernet for datacenter subcommitee, Ethernet Alliance. “By providing this vital support and technology leadership to vendors, manufacturers, and the users they serve, the Ethernet Alliance is facilitating the continued growth and evolution of the global Ethernet ecosystem.”