What Is Carrier Ethernet?
Carrier Ethernet is the new hotness. It's what everyone's talking about, and with good reason: it's a great way to make your network faster and more secure. What exactly is Carrier Ethernet? Why should you care? Carrier Ethernet is an Ethernet version overseen by the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF). According to the MEF, five characteristics distinguish Carrier Ethernet from conventional LAN-based Ethernet services. These characteristics are 'ubiquitous, standardized, carrier-grade service and network.' So what does that mean? Carrier Ethernet is just a new way to transmit data over your network—it's fast and secure but also comes with many other benefits. Ethernet used to be a quaint little technology, but it's been kicking up its heels lately. It's been a long time since Ethernet was a wild child, but it hasn't forgotten those stormy days. It's grown up, but it can still get down with the best of them--and now it has the backing of some of the biggest telecommunications companies in the world. The first services based on Ethernet were standard Ethernet switches and IEEE standards 802.1(a) and (d). These services faced challenges such as limited traffic engineering, lack of scalability, limited quality of service and little protection. Due to these disadvantages, carrier Ethernet was developed. Carrier Ethernet supports Ethernet enterprise and residential "triple play" services worldwide. Carrier Ethernet is one of the most exciting new technologies in the industry. It's like a hybrid between the internet and traditional telecommunications, which means it's excellent for many things—significantly augmenting your existing network and improving reliability. How do you know if your Carrier Ethernet product is Carrier Ethernet? What are the specs that make it so? That's where MEF comes in. The MEF (Maintenance Engineering Forum) is an international standards organization that works closely with industry and other standards bodies to develop technical specifications for carrier-class Ethernet products. They're behind by over 30+ technical specifications that provide the exact definitions for Carrier Ethernet. For a product or service to claim the title of "Carrier Ethernet," it must be certified by MEF. So what does this mean for you? Well, if you want to be sure that your carrier-class service is carrier-class, then you'll want to make sure it's MEF-certified!
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