Testing and measurement: a pillar of the Ethernet ecosystem

By Ethernet Alliance


Nimble T&M companies support Ethernet’s new speeds and applications

A new article describing the critical role of test and measurement in a rapidly expanding Ethernet ecosystem, written by the Alliance’s own David Rodgers, has been published in Electronic Design.

In the not-so-distant past, the perennial “need for speed” was the primary driver of Ethernet innovation. Today, specific applications for next-generation enterprise, campus and data center Ethernet use – not to mention completely new applications such as vehicular Ethernet and the Internet of Things – are just as important as engines of innovation.  The result is new Ethernet applications in traditional spaces and expansion of Ethernet’s role in the world around us, all supported by the companies working in the test and measurement space, who enable a path to successful commercialization of this immensely useful technology.

As the Ethernet Alliance strives to help accelerate the development of markets for Ethernet, appreciation for the role of test and measurement tools and procedures is in our DNA. Our hats are off to Rodgers for helping to shine a light on this topic and its importance in a widely read industry publication such as Electronic Design.

Here’s how Rodgers, who sits on the Alliance’s board of directors, articulates this point in his article, “Ethernet evolution drives parallel changes in test and measurement process.” 

“Everyone in the Ethernet ecosystem has a stake in the development and use of effective test and measurement tools and, as Ethernet speeds increase for use in existing and new applications, it’s important to understand that T&M tools and how they are applied are evolving as well. It’s often said, ‘the strength of a standard lies in one’s ability to validate it through measurement,’ and that’s what’s happening in the Ethernet-related test and measurement space today.”

The article is highly recommended reading, both for how T&M is valued in the Ethernet ecosystem and for how the Alliance is bringing this story to a wider audience.