My name is Zachary Simone, and I am currently a junior at UNH majoring in computer science. I have worked at the UNH Interoperability Lab (UNH-IOL) for almost two years, as I started in December of 2020. Prior to this, I had the honor of being a part of the IOL HighTech Bound internship during the summer of my high school junior year in(2019). At the time, I was attending the Seacoast School of Technology for a more in depth...
The InterOp Insider
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My DSL Journey working from intern to undergrad test technician
By Zachary Simone - October 3, 2022
UNH Hack New Hampshire: Health & Wellness Solutions in Today's 'New Normal'
By Mara Johnson - May 18, 2022
Last month the UNH-InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) and the Peter T. Paul Entrepreneurship Center (ECenter) collaborated to host the annual Hack New Hampshire event. Undergraduate and graduate students across all colleges were invited to participate in a two-day event to create a solution to “Help New Hampshire.” Last year’s event was held entirely virtual, this year students were invited to participate in-person at the IOL among industry mentors and peers.
This year, a total of...
NVM Express Integrator’s List 101: Your Guide to NVMe Interoperability and Compliance Testing
By Mara Johnson - May 16, 2022
NVM Express proudly collaborates with the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) to conduct compliance and interoperability testing for the NVM Express® (NVMe®) specifications. As a vendor-neutral test lab, the UNH-IOL provides members with confidential and unbiased test results, helping companies get products ready to market, faster. NVM Express member products that pass UNH-IOL’s required testing can be listed on the NVMe Integrator’s List. The NVMe Integrator’s List consists of configurations that have proven to be...
Auto-Negotiation Process Overview
By Jade Kwitkiwski - March 23, 2022
As defined by the IEEE 802.3 Working Group, Auto-Negotiation is the process that Ethernet Devices use to identify and resolve the highest possible link between two devices. In simplified terms, Auto-Negotiation aids a user in finding the highest and most efficient operating speed for their system.
Featured between the Physical and Data Link layers on an OSI Model, Auto-Negotiation is responsible for finding the link speed between two link partners. In order to do so, the system transmits a...
UNH-IOL Plugfest #16 Performs Product Testing for NVMe Integrator’s List
By Jade Kwitkiwski - December 13, 2021
The UNH-IOL wrapped up the NVMe® Plugfest #16 where members tested their NVMe SSD and NVMe-oF™ products against the NVMe and NVMe-oF test specification. The primary goal of the Plugfest is to qualify products for the NVMe Integrator’s List or the NVMe-oF Integrator's List . This past event tested nine devices from six different companies which took place over the course of two-weeks, virtually.
At the UNH-IOL, test plans serve as a beneficial and informational indicator...
IOL INTERACT Latest Release Streamlining Product Testing for NVMe & NVMe-oF
By Jade Kwitkiwski - November 9, 2021
The IOL INTERACT™ test software streamlines testing conformance and automation of NVMe® SSDs and NVMe-oF™products, with the goal of verifying products for the Integrator’s List as well as testing overall NVMe conformance. UNH-IOL customers gain access to the tool through annual memberships, which allows testing in your own labs. Testing within your own lab qualifies as pre-testing, with a “pass” granting it validation to be sent to the UNH-IOL for further testing.
Annually, IOL INTERACT PC Edition launches two...
Communicating with Industry as an Undergrad Employee at the IOL
By Matthew Coco - October 26, 2021
As someone who has been working at the IOL for around 7 months, I found it hard to communicate with vendors at first. I have never really had to communicate with other professionals before and it seemed really stressful at first. I decided to make this blog as a way to inform newcomers at the IOL how to communicate with vendors and make this part of the job stress free. While working at the IOL, one of the many...
How the Younger Generation Can Improve STEM Skills From Home
By Emilie Leavitt - June 1, 2021
COVID-19, and the series of lockdowns that followed, has brought a wide array of challenges to students, workers, and employers alike. Thanks to the efforts of teachers and school administrators around the world, institutional education was able to continue through remote learning-- a solution that, as necessary as it may have been given the circumstances, was not without its flaws. Despite the best efforts of everyone involved, many students were left feeling like more of their education was left up...
Testing NVMe® Conformance Through Virtual Plugfest Events
By Owen O'Brien - February 12, 2021
Here at the University of New Hampshire’s Interoperability Lab (UNH-IOL), the collaborative efforts of Plugfests, also known as group test events, have been hosted and developed since the late 1980s. The lab’s dedicated space for these types of events holds up to 60 companies in a neutral, third party environment. Common among the UNH-IOL’s group testing efforts, are the multi-vendor Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe ® ) and NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-oF ™) Plugfests which are held two times per year....
Tale of a Civil Engineer
By Jessica Constant - July 11, 2012
Hey everyone its Jessica Constant from the Digital Living Consortium (DLC)! I am a junior Civil Engineering major at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and I would like to share with you my experience coming into the UNH-IOL as a Civil Engineering major. Most of the gentlemen in the DLC have majors that relate to computer sciences, such as Information Technology (IT) and Electrical Engineering (EE). Luckily, they are very patient and take the time to teach certain technical details, such as counting in binary. Coming into the lab was intimidating for me, knowing almost all of my coworkers had a computer science background.
A First Experience with Fibre Channel
By Matthew Goepfert - June 28, 2012
My name is Matthew Goepfert, and I work in the Fibre Channel (FC) Consortium. I am currently a junior majoring in Information Technology (IT). Upon ending my sophomore year this past winter, I was in need of a job that would give me hands-on experience with some aspect of IT. I have always had a particular interest in computer networking and plan on getting involved with system/network administration upon graduation. I had heard many positive remarks about the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) from several students at UNH regarding the vast knowledge and experience that people obtain from working there. After applying and being accepted at the start of this past spring semester, I found out that I would be working in the FC Consortium. Up until that point, I had never even heard about FC, let alone had any actual experience with it. This would soon change, as I have gained a very personal level of knowledge regarding the technology from performing various tests on FC devices.
Recap of First Quarter Test Events
By Samantha Martell - June 15, 2012
The UNH-IOL has a 7,200 square-foot facility to support test events, holding up to 60 companies at a time. UNH-IOL hosted events allow both member and non-member companies to accomplish detailed, thorough testing with industry partners. These events typically focus on fostering the interoperability of a particular technology, often when the technology is in its first stages of implementation. Industry Forums and individual customers benefit from these events by gaining early access to unreleased products in new technology spaces, finding problems before their customers do, and obtaining feedback to draft standards.
A New Team Member Point-Of-View
By Dan McGloughlin - June 7, 2012
As the end of the Spring 2012 term was coming to an end, I knew I was going to need a summer job. My Intro-to-Industry (I2I) internship here at the UNH-IOL was going to finish a few weeks before the end of the semester and the experience was a blast. I thought, why not apply for work at a place where I’ve been learning so much and having a good time? So, that’s what I did.
IOL First Conformance & Interop Test House for OPEN Products in Automotive Applications
By David Estes - May 21, 2012
We are proud to announce that we are working with the OPEN (One Pair EtherNet) Alliance to become the first test house to perform physical layer conformance and interoperability testing for one pair Ethernet products in automotive applications. Reducing the cable to only one pair will reduce the weight and cost required to add Ethernet to automobiles. The OPEN Alliance is comprised of auto manufacturers, parts suppliers, and chip manufacturers to promote the adoption of one pair Ethernet for automotive communication. The OPEN Alliance is also assisting in defining the standard for higher-speed reduced pair Ethernet.
Energy Conservation, transportation at core of student-designed Android App
By Jonathan Noyes - May 16, 2012
My name is Jonathan Noyes and I am a senior at the University of New Hampshire in the Computer Science (CS) Department and student technician at the UNH-IOL. For my senior project I worked with two other CS students developing a mobile application for the UNH Sustainability Academy.
Recent Student Grad
By Pamela Woodland - May 10, 2012
As graduation nears, I begin to reflect on the experiences I have had throughout my college career, as well as my employment with the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL). Come the end of this month, I will have been employed with the UNH-IOL for three years and at that time I will be seeking employment within the healthcare field. Despite the fact that the UNH-IOL has not provided me with experience in regards to healthcare, it has given me a solid foundation as I go on to become a young career professional.
UNH-IOL: A Unique, Hands-on Education for Graduate School
By Mike Hagen - May 1, 2012
The UNH-IOL offers an opportunity that most graduate students never get to experience: hands-on learning with cutting edge technologies. More so than with undergraduate studies, the realm of graduate research is typically entirely theoretical. Complementary to the classroom, here at the lab, students have the opportunity to perform research on actual devices. Staffed by full-time employees and graduate students, we are able to forge relationships with vendors that most graduate students never get exposed to. This affords the benefits of accessing prototype hardware and software that may not be available outside of our special relationships for years in some cases.
Customer Relations
By Kerry Munson - April 20, 2012
The University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) is an establishment visited by vendors and visitors traveling from all over the world throughout the year for numerous reasons. Many come to test their company's technical equipment and devices, or to learn about the services we offer to our customers and others come to learn about opportunities we have for students interested in technology. Some of our guests are here to attend what we call Plugfest events, these events entail multiple technical companies coming together and testing their products with other company's products. Other vendors come for "in-house testing", which is a single company of one or more representatives coming in to test their products in our lab. The other types of visitors we have are people unfamiliar with our facility that are here to tour the lab to see what we do. These people can be CEO's from multi-million dollar corporations or high school juniors looking for potential employment and internship opportunities. As the receptionist for the UNH-IOL, I have had the privilege of having first contact with each of our guests over the past three years. From this, I have learned firsthand the importance of making a friendly and welcoming first impression. The impression our visitors have when they walk in the door will stay with them throughout their visit and long thereafter.
To everything there is a season...
By Christina Dube - April 13, 2012
Spring is generally seen as a season of transition, as well as a season of opportunity. In New Hampshire, the weather gradually transitions from bitterly cold to cool and raw, finally landing on warm and sunny. The grass, trees and flowers come back to life, heralding the warm days to come. The daylight stretches out, opening doors and opportunities that were previously closed -- cooking on the grill, eating dinner on the deck, staying outside until the streetlights come on or mosquitos come out.