Technical professional organisation IEEE, US, has announced the approval of IEEE 802.3 2012 "Standard for Ethernet." IEEE 802.3 defines wired connectivity for Ethernet local area, access and metropolitan area networks around the world. It defines the physical (PHY) and media access control (MAC) layers of Ethernet transmission across wired connections of multiple media.
According to IEEE, the standard's global deployment is pervasive, and the span of stakeholders in its ongoing development is sweeping. This includes network component and system manufacturers and network, software and bandwidth providers, as well as LAN and Internet users worldwide.
Furthermore, IEEE 802.3's relevance is seen to continue to grow multi-dimensionally in order to address additional media types, bandwidth speeds and protocols. The new IEEE 802.3 revision approved by the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) incorporates various technical updates and enhancements and consolidates a host of amendments to the base standard that were approved since IEEE 802.3's last full revision, in 2008.
Amendments addressing 10 Gbit/s Ethernet Passive Optical Networks (EPONs), and energy efficiency are among those that have been incorporated into IEEE 802.3-2012. Also included are extension to 40 Gbit/s and 100 Gbit/s speeds while maintaining compatibility with previously installed IEEE 802.3 interfaces, enhanced support for loss-sensitive applications and time synchronisation.
