Independent testing has shown that companies rolling out D-Link's Green
Ethernet switches can reduce operating expenses, even when the switch is fully
saturated with network traffic.
The testing was conducted at
Ixia
Labs' EMEA site in Marlow by independent network kit testing outfit
Broadband-Testing.
A subsequent report filed by Broadband-Testing labs director Steve Broadhead
shows conclusively that D-Link's claims for its
DGS-1224T
24-port Green Ethernet Gigabit Smart Switch have been validated by the
tests.
"With default gigabit mode enabled, and with a 100 per cent network traffic
load, the Green Ethernet switch consumed 47 per cent of the power used by
D-Link's own DGS-3627 24-port switch," he said.
Broadhead compared D-Link's Green Ethernet switch with its DGS-3627 24-port
switch and a D-Link DGS-3426P 24-port Power-over-Ethernet switch. The test used
Ixia's XM12 test hardware and its new IxGreen software application, allowing
network load testing data and power consumption readings taken from a hardware
multi-meter to be compared.
At zero per cent and 50 per cent network traffic load, the DGS-1224T Green
Ethernet switch consumed 64.1 per cent and 53.7 per cent respectively of the
power used by D-Link's DGS 3627 switch.
One method by which D-Link's hardware reduces power consumption is that its
switch places the port to which the device is connected on less power-consuming
standby mode when a connected device is turned off. D-Link's switches can also
adjust power output according to network cabling distances.
D-Link's Green Ethernet switch offers an opportunity to significantly reduce
power costs for firms using switches close to their full network capacity.
However, one of the current problems with testing switch power consumption is
the lack of a global standard for running such tests, which means that useful
comparisons between competing network kit could be undermined by claims of "
non-standard testing".
Ixia system engineer James Ramsay said that datacentres are under significant
pressure to reduce cooling problems, and that the industry needs a global energy
efficiency metric covering Europe and the US.
Nigel Moulton, European enterprise and SME vice president at D-Link, said
that all D-Link switching products would be moved to similar 'green' hardware
configurations over the next six to nine months, and that its wireless LAN
systems and network attached storage hardware would be "similarly specified".
Moulton added that there are macroeconomic considerations, but that CIOs
could justifiably offer green network hardware to network IT managers as a "
serious consideration".
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