Juniper Networks, IXIA announce telecom energy efficiency metric

OCTOBER 28, 2008 -- Juniper Networks Inc. (search for Juniper Networks) and Ixia (search for Ixia) today announced the formation of the Energy Consumption Rating (ECR) Initiative, a framework for measuring the energy efficiency of network and telecom devices. In an event hosted by Ixia, key definitions and methodology of the ECR initiative were unveiled to the public, alongside a live technology demonstration.

In response to the increasing requirement from service providers, enterprise businesses, and government agencies for better methods to estimate, project, and regulate energy efficiency of telecom and network equipment, Juniper Networks, Ixia, and Lawrence Berkeley National Labs have collaborated to develop a vendor-neutral energy efficiency metric.

The ECR metric creates a common energy denominator between different network and telecom systems operating within a single class. The ECR methodology defines the procedures and conditions for measurements and calculations and can be readily implemented with industry-standard test equipment.

The introduction of the ECR initiative for the measurement of telecom energy efficiency will be held at Ixia's iSimCity proof-of-concept lab in Santa Clara, CA. The event will feature guests from the US EPA and telecom experts and the use of the ECR specification in the measurement of telecom energy efficiency. The Juniper Networks T1600 will be the featured system under test at the event.

During the live demonstration, ECR readings will be taken in the multi-vendor environment consisting of Ixia's IxGreen platform and Emerson's NetSure 701 DC power system. During the test, IxGreen will operate as the control point for fully integrated measurements and comprehensive reports with time-correlated energy and external load analysis. Real-time ECR "performance-per-energy unit" graphs and statistics accurately demonstrated energy consumption in reference to offered load. The Juniper Networks T1600 is expected to achieve an ECR value of 9.1 Watts/Gbit/sec.

"Reducing the energy use of information technology has been a cooperative effort between industry and the public sector," contends Bruce Nordman, Research at Lawrence Berkeley National Labs. "Our work with the ECR initiative brings this partnership to network and telecom equipment. Standard test procedures are necessary for good public policy in this area and needed to recognize new efficient technologies and products," he says.

The ECR draft specification 1.02 establishes a framework for classifying network equipment and a methodology for measuring energy efficiency. The final "performance-per-energy unit" rating, expressed in (watts) / (Gbit/sec) can be reported as a peak (scalar) or synthetic (weighted) metric that takes dynamic energy management capabilities into account. The ECR framework and methodology is vendor-neutral and can be easily adapted to upcoming energy-related ICT standards and legislations, say members of the initiative. With growing interest from national and international standard bodies to lower operational expenses and the environmental footprint of networking, the ECR offers a turnkey method for reporting, measuring, and regulating energy efficiency of network components.

"In addition to fostering the ECR Initiative, Ixia has built a test application that implements ECR methodologies and metrics within a fully automated, highly accurate, and repeatable platform: IxGreen," asserts Vic Alston, senior vice president of product development at Ixia. "IxGreen, in conjunction with Ixia's platform and test application, provides stateful device load and correlates traffic throughput to energy consumption."

"The ECR Initiative is an important step toward making energy efficiency ratings for telecommunications a reality," adds Opher Kahane, senior vice president and general manager, High End Systems Business Unit, Juniper Networks. "Our service provider customers are focused on energy efficiency for maximum operational savings, service quality, reliability, and the environmental impact of their networks, and our products are designed to help them meet these objectives."

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