Ethernet Alliance Sees Increased Participation in its High-Speed Networking Interop Plugfest

BEAVERTON, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Ethernet Alliance, a global consortium dedicated to the continued success and advancement of Ethernet technologies, is about to embark upon its next members-only High Speed Networking (HSN) Plugfest. Slated for the week of October 14, 2019 at the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) in Durham, N.H., the benefits afforded by the organization’s test event series is attracting growing attention from diverse stakeholders throughout the Ethernet ecosystem.

“The rising number of new companies participating in our HSN Plugfest series illustrates just how far these rapidly maturing Ethernet technologies are spreading. The drive to deliver more products to market faster is fueling a surge in participation from companies seeking to take part in our plugfests,” said Greg McSorley, president, Ethernet Alliance; and technical business development manager, Amphenol Corp. “Plugfests are a cost-effective avenue for companies to securely test against an array of costly equipment – particularly pre-release products – that they may not have otherwise had access to. It is a perfect representation of how the Ethernet Alliance is working to foster seamless, end-to-end interoperability across the Ethernet landscape while delivering added value for our members.”

Ethernet Alliance HSN Plugfests provide an ongoing development environment for conducting confidential, non-competitive interoperability testing against published and draft IEEE 802™ Ethernet standards alike. Incorporating a wide variety of high-speed products and solutions, testing regularly includes network interface cards (NICs); switches; field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs); protocol analyzers; interconnects such as optical transceivers, and passive and active optical and copper cabling; and PHY test equipment. In this secure, vendor-neutral setting, Ethernet device manufacturers and solutions providers can more easily debug and optimize interoperability for pre-release products.

Open exclusively to Ethernet Alliance members, the HSN Plugfest is a high-value event for Ethernet component, equipment, and interconnect manufacturers; network architects; and test and measurement professionals. Vendors interested in joining future members-only plugfests are encouraged to explore Ethernet Alliance membership as quickly as possible.