Bob Metcalfe, the father of the Ethernet, helped launch the latest Carrier Ethernet-based WANs at NetEvents last week which promised improved service level agreements.

Metcalfe and his team at 3Com brought about the first Ethernet networks for LAN connections in 1973, and almost 40 years later oversaw the launch of Carrier Ethernet 2.0 at the NetEvents business IT symposium in Garmisch, Germany.

Up to now Carrier Ethernet has been used by telcos and service providers to connect firms wanting to join their different LANs and WANs to other locations, using a familiar networking protocol. Until the arrival of Carrier Ethernet 2.0 though this was normally done using capacity provided by a single provider, meaning connectivity was more limited.
 
Carrier Ethernet 2.0 delivers service levels to enable say, Deutsche Telecom, to offer a Carrier Ethernet service to a customer using network capacity provided by eircom, to provide a greater patchwork of coverage for connecting their sites across the world without having to use different protocols.

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Speaking at the recent NetEvents 2011 APAC Press & Analyst Summit in Thailand, MEF President Nan Chen outlined the proceedings of the MEF’s last quarterly meeting for 2011, held in Singapore last month, and their particular relevance for APAC business. Key issues for the region include Carrier Ethernet Multiple Classes of Service (Multi-CoS), Ethernet mobile backhaul, and the rise of wholesale Ethernet services – and all three issues were addressed by new technical specifications progressed at the Quarterly meeting. He also announced strong support for the new MEF Carrier Ethernet Certified Professional (CECP) certification program, which is already boosting the skills availability in a highly competitive market. Nan Chen explained how the letter ballot acceptance of the MEF’s Phase 2 on Multi-CoS and Mobile Backhaul Implementation Agreements – extending MEF 23 and MEF 22 respectively – is an especially important issue for the region where, without a strong legacy network of fixed line connections, it is doubly attractive to leapfrog traditional leased line connections from cell cites to core network and go for an all-Ethernet solution. According to Infonetics’ Michael Howard: “IP/Ethernet MBH is the universally accepted solution to lower the costs of growing mobile data traffic, and to facilitate migration to next generation all-IP/Ethernet networks. This two Implementation Agreements will be especially welcome for addressing explosive growth of mobile Internet traffic, as well as pointing the way to simpler 4G migration.”

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The latest edition of the NetEvents EMEA Summit in Italy set the record straight about the cloud hype through an extensive
gathering of telecom leaders who discussed the cloud merits.  The hype around cloud computing is “deafening,” according to
Hype Cycle report from the Gartner Group. From multinational consulting firms and systems integrators down to freelance
consultants, they all claim a suite of cloud related services, and Gartner warns that such ”cloud washing” risks accelerating the
entire industry into a trough of disillusionment.

According to James Walker, Head of Global VPN Services, Tata Communications, the cloud is actually that wavy diagram that
we as vendors tend to put on whiteboards when we’re talking to customers. And there’s a multitude of sins that are hidden behind that wavy shape. “So you’ll get some illustrations of that wavy cloud shortly but we tend to talk about the network as obviously existing or obviously doing the service that it’s expected to do. But in fact there’s some quite serious challenges that we as carriers are starting to face about how to link together all these various platforms whether it’s private
cloud or public cloud,” he added.

Walker was clear that the cloud brings a variety of opportunities but it also brings a number of challenges. “I think the opportunities are ones that we as an industry are very focused on because it looks like there’s money attached to it hopefully. But there’s also a significant number of challenges and particularly it’s a challenge of bringing technology and networking platforms and data centers and indeed whole concepts that were originally expected to do something different and changing those to actually deliver cloud services,”  commented Walker.

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Industry recognition for individuals with knowledge and skills to drive growth in Carrier Ethernet services

The MEF (Metro Ethernet Forum) has today formally launched the third part of its widely adopted MEF Carrier Ethernet certification program. The new MEF Professional Certification program is designed for individuals whose Carrier Ethernet technology, services and application expertise meet MEF criteria. The MEF’s Carrier Ethernet Certified Professional (MEF-CECP) test validates knowledge of Carrier Ethernet technology, standards and applications.

Speaking at the NetEvents 2011 APAC Press Summit in Malaysia, Nan Chen, MEF President, said: “With thirteen new services and five providers certified in the last quarter of 2010 alone, we are witnessing a strong and growing appreciation of the value of MEF certification. For the individual, this new aspect of MEF certification helps career advancement by providing industry recognition of their knowledge and expertise. For the employer, it simplifies the choice of candidates and helps to define standard training requirements. For the industry, it will enable growth via better trained sales, marketing, product management and technical professionals.”

To qualify for the MEF-CECP certificate, suitable individuals must sit a two-hour multiple choice exam covering topics that include: MEF definitions, access technologies, MEF certification, target applications, circuit emulation over Ethernet, SOAM and comparisons with other network services. This exam can be taken online from the home or office – regulated by web based proctoring technology to ensure the security and integrity of the examination, at an approved test center or at an MEF Accredited Training Provider’s facilities following the completion of their training course. The first five of these accredited third party training providers were announced today at NetEvents – Accedian Networks, EANTC, Perpetual Solutions, Tech 2000 and Telefocal Asia. The first group of MEF Certified Professionals (MEF-CECPs) will be announced in the first half of this year.

In addition to receiving the MEF certificate, successful candidates will be automatically listed on the on-line Directory of MEF Certified Professionals posted on the widely visited EthernetAcademy.net website. Typical candidates for this initial certification will be: technical marketing or product managers, pre-sales engineers, product planners, network consultants, technical sales, network operations engineers and application consultants.

“This professional certification could not be timelier” commented Michael Howard, Principal Analyst, Infonetics Research. “We anticipate healthy growth in the market as organizations increasingly look to Ethernet for the lowest cost-per-bit – with Ethernet services revenues forecast to hit $40 billion by 2014. There will be a growing demand for professionals with MEF certified Carrier Ethernet expertise.”

Details of the certification process including registration are available  now on the MEF website  http://www.MetroEthernetForum.org/

“我相信在接下来的5年中，世界将会朝着一个目标发生转移，即在世界任何地方以超低廉的成本去创建一个全球公司的能力，将会成为大部分小型新兴企业发展的思维模式。”这是Brocade公司总裁与首席营销官John McHugh在2010年NetEvents欧洲中东非洲媒体峰会上所做的预测，而今年电信级以太网的发展令这种趋势更加明显。

 

10月25～28日，MEF（城域以太网论坛）第四季度全球会议在北京召开，这也是MEF首次将季会放在亚太地区举行。而明年，MEF也即将于明年迎来自己的十周年生日。谈及这些年的发展，作为创始人的陈子湳感慨颇多，在他看来，三次跨越成就了今天的MEF和以太网。 MEF主席陈子湳

 

上世纪90年代，以太网技术和应用的发展一枝独秀，在世界各地都形成快速部署之势。2001年，在美国硅谷，陈子湳邀集来自Cisco、SBC、BellSouth等9家企业相关负责人一起探讨以太网的现状和未来，这9家企业便是MEF初创时的第一批加入者与合作者。

但那个时候的以太网仍只是种局域网技术，相对的简易性、为人所熟知以及大规模生产的经济性就是其全部优点。作为一种广域网技术，它在QoS、可靠性以及应对现有通信系统所需的其他特点方面还存在很大不足。

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