Here are some of my collection of newest trends and predictions for year 2018. I have not invented those ideas what will happen next year completely myself. I have gone through many articles that have given predictions for year 2018. Then I have picked and mixed here the best part from those articles (sources listed on the end of posting) with some of my own additions to make this posting.This article contains very many quotations from those source articles.
Big Data, mobility and the Internet of Things (IoT) are generating an enormous amount of data, and data center operators must find ways to support higher and higher speeds. Recent data center trends predict bandwidth requirements will continue growing 25 percent to 35 percent per year. Many older data centers were designed to support 1-gigabit or 10-gigabit pathways between servers, routers and switches. Today’s Ethernet roadmap extends from 25- and 40-gigabit up through 100-gigabit, and 400-gigabit and even 1-terabit Ethernet loom within a few years. The biggest sales are forecasted for 25G and 100G ports for next few years. Ethernet switch market has now 100 Gbit/s products in the volumes at the moment, and both 200G and 400G Ethernet versions will be taken to use in 2018.
Broadcom dominates the Ethernet switch chip market today with a 73 to 94 percent share, depending on how market watchers slice the sector valued at nearly a billion dollars. Its closest rival, Cisco Systems, takes most of the rest with systems using its own ASICs. Juniper, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Huawei also make Ethernet switch ASICs for their systems. With seven merchant chips in the pipeline and four in-house ASICs in the works, we will see a record number of unique platforms ship in 2018. Wheeler of the Linley Group expects the competition will drive Ethernet switch costs from about $60/port today to about $36/port by 2020.
Data center giants “are driving their own code and programmable capabilities as close to the server as possible.” The dozen largest data center operators — including the likes of Facebook and Google — build their own switch systems or specify systems built by ODMs. They can drive sales of millions of chips a year but demand maximum bandwidth at minimum cost and power consumption. The Tomahawk-3 is geared for the next-generation of their top-of-rack and aggregation switches, delivering up to 128 100GE or 32 400GE ports, the first merchant chip to support 400GE rates.
China will start making more optical components: Several Western component and subsystems vendors have cited reduced demand from Chinese systems houses such as Huawei and ZTE for revenue declines in 2017. One reason for the slowdown is the fact that these systems houses have begun looking for more local optical technology sources. In addition to doing more development work in-house (particularly in the case of Huawei), the two Chinese systems vendors have begun to work more closely with Chinese companies such as Accelink, Hisense, and HiSilicon as well as Japanese vendors. This can mean that Western firms (particularly in the U.S.) may not see their Chinese orders return to previous levels.
Higher power power over Ethernet: 802.3bt – IEEE Draft Standard for Ethernet Amendment: Physical Layer and Management Parameters for DTE Power via MDI over 4-Pair amendment to IEEE Std 802.3-2015 increases the maximum PD power available by utilizing all four pairs in the specified structured wiring plant. This represents a substantial increase to the capabilities of Ethernet with standardized power – allow delivery of up to 90 watts of power via existing Ethernet cabling. The Ethernet Alliance has announced details of its next plugfest: Dedicated to pre-standard testing of Power over Ethernet (PoE) technologies against Draft 3.2 of the IEEE P802.3bt standard, the event will be held in February 2018. The specification’s ratification is expected in September of 2018.
802.11ax hasn’t been signed off yet, but promises to send WiFi towards 10 Gb/s thanks to its use of both multi-user multiple-input and multiple-output (MU-MIMO) and the new Orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA). 802.11ax is good at combining lots of different links so that users get more connections, more often, and end up with more bandwidth. Marvell claims it’ll have the first chipsets for new 10G WiFi ready for products in H2 2018. Marvell said the chipsets will ship some time in early 2018 and will appear in products in the second half of the year. Widespread 802.11ax adoption in devices probably won’t happen until 2019.
5G something in it for everyone. 5G is big. 5G New Radio (NR) wireless technology will ultimately impact everyone in the electronics and telecommunications industries. Most estimates say 2020 is when we will ultimately see some real 5G deployments on a scale. In the meantime, companies are firming up their plans for whatever 5G products and services they will offer. Though test and measurement solutions will be key in the commercialization cycle. 5G is set to disrupt test processes. If 5G takes off, the technology will propel the development of new chips in both the infrastructure and the handset. Data centers require specialty semiconductors from power management to high-speed optical fiber front-ends. 5G systems will drive more complexity in RF front-ends .
Networks will become more and more virtual, especially on 5G. 5G networks will build on LTE network architecture with the introduction of cloud RANs (C-RANs) and virtualized RANs. Network function virtualization (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN) tools and architectures could enable operators to reduce network costs and simplify deployment. For more details read System architecture milestone of 5G Phase 1 is achieved article.
Automotive Ethernet: Automotive Ethernet will replace the Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST) bus found on many vehicles today and also compete with systems like Maxim’s Gigabit Multimedia Serial Link (GMSL). The standards include IEEE 802.3bw 100BASE-T1 and IEEE P802.3bp 1000BASE-T1 that adopt the 100-Mb/s and 1-Gb/s Ethernet protocols to run over over a single twisted pair up to 15 meters. Chips, PHYs and switches are now readily available for automotive Ethernet. Automotive switches will support time-sensitive networking (TSN) features like audio video bridging (AVB) ingress policy, rate limiting andalso features 802.1Qav/Qbv queue-shaping support. We will need a Security Blanket for Automotive Ethernet.
Car-to-car communication: The industry and government have defined several versions of vehicular communications. These are vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X). V2V is the direct communications between vehicles within range of one another. V2V link-up is automatic and cars exchange status information messages Basic Safety Message (BSM) 10 times per second (contains data such as GPS location, speed, direction, brake status, and related conditions). There are competing technologies to make this all work. IEEE802.11p ahead of LTE-V2V for safety critical applications. 5G will offer increased capacity and decreased latency for some critical applications such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and self-driving vehicles. The big question is whether 5G will disrupt the landscape or fall short of its promises.
TSN (time sensitive networking) will be talked on many application. Success in the IIoT requires that information- and operational-technology networks work in tandem—time-sensitive networking can make it happen. A converged industrial network will address several challenges that currently exist in today’s disparate network architecture, and it is believed that needed convergence is provided by time-sensitive networking (TSN). TSN is a set of IEEE 802 sub-standards that, when implemented, enable deterministic communication over Ethernet networks while keeping the benefits of communication in best effort manner, on that same network. TSN introduces different traffic classes that share the same link. Proper implementation of TSN requires a solution that can provide a low latency and deterministic response at TSN end points and TSN bridges – it is usually implemented with combining a processor and a FPGA or using advanced Ethernet switch chip.
Gartner analyst says on-premises data centers will soon be ‘useless’: Govekar said that as soon as 2019, at least a third of the largest software vendors will have transitioned their products from cloud-first to cloud-only. For this reason Gartner analyst predicts doom for on-premises data centers. If this happens , there will be a lot of work for network operators and cloud service companies to be able to build the infrastructure that can handle all this without problems. I expect that not all on-premises data centers are doomed. There are applications where moving everything to central could does not make sense – for example many IoT applications are moving some of the processing from cloud to edge devices for various reasons (lower latency, reduce needed bandwidth, work also when communications does not work etc..). There is also place for some on-premises data centers on some application (may them be depending on need anything from embedded server to room full of equipment racks). When designing for the IoT, security needs to be addressed from the Cloud down to each and every edge device. Protecting data is both a hardware and a software requirement, as more data is being stored and analyzed in edge devices and gateways.
Network neutrality talks will continue in 2018. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on December 14, 2017 overturned the Title II-based Open Internet Order the previous Democratic-controlled FCC regime put in place in 2015. So what happens next? In the immediate term, nothing. The Restoring Internet Freedom Order won’t go into effect until sometime in the first half of 2018.
IPv6 usage seems to be finally accelerating in 2018. IPv6 has been a “future” since 1998, and an important future since 2007. IPv6 deployments have been increasing and chances are you have already used IPv6 – but haven’t realized it yet. IPv6 deployment is increasing around the world, with over 9 million domain names and 23% of all networks advertising IPv6 connectivity. Network admins will have many concerns about migrating to IPv6 in 2018. China plans to put the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)-based network into large-scale use, to boost the development of the Internet industry. China aims to have 200 million active users of IPv6 by the end of 2018. IPv6 use is increasing, but that does not mean that IPv4 is no way dying. It seems that both of those technologies will co-exist in Internet for a long time.
Sources:
Chinese systems houses engaging with alternative component, subsystem sources: LightCounting
System architecture milestone of 5G Phase 1 is achieved
Five technology trends for 2018
NI Trend Watch 2018 explores trends driving the future faster
ADAS Needs V2X to Meet ITS Goals
Taking Automotive Ethernet for a Test Drive
A Security Blanket for Automotive Ethernet
TSN: Converging Networks for a Better Industrial IoT
Gartner analyst says on-premises data centers will soon be ‘useless’
Gartner analyst predicts doom for on-premises data centers
M2M within the IoT – Pushing Security from the Cloud Down to Every Last Endpoint
Net Neutrality Overturned: Now What?
B’com Shifts Switch to 12.8 Tbits/s
Planning starts now for high-speed data center migration
China to speed up IPv6-based Internet development
Top 5 Concerns of Network Admins About Migrating to IPv6 in 2018
1,081 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Review of Silicon Photonics
https://semiengineering.com/a-review-of-silicon-photonics/
Using process simulation to design silicon photonics devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
Santa Clara Fire Department says Verizon throttled “unlimited” data plan to a fire truck during Mendocino wildfire response; Verizon says it made a mistake — Fire dep’t had to pay twice as much to lift throttling during wildfire response. — Verizon Wireless’ throttling …
Verizon throttled fire department’s “unlimited” data during Calif. wildfire
Fire dep’t had to pay twice as much to lift throttling during wildfire response.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/08/verizon-throttled-fire-departments-unlimited-data-during-calif-wildfire/
Verizon Wireless’ throttling of a fire department that uses its data services has been submitted as evidence in a lawsuit that seeks to reinstate federal net neutrality rules.
“County Fire has experienced throttling by its ISP, Verizon,” Santa Clara County Fire Chief Anthony Bowden wrote in a declaration. “This throttling has had a significant impact on our ability to provide emergency services. Verizon imposed these limitations despite being informed that throttling was actively impeding County Fire’s ability to provide crisis-response and essential emergency services.”
Throttling affected response to wildfire
“The Internet has become an essential tool in providing fire and emergency response, particularly for events like large fires which require the rapid deployment and organization of thousands of personnel and hundreds of fire engines, aircraft, and bulldozers,” Bowden wrote.
Santa Clara Fire paid Verizon for “unlimited” data but suffered from heavy throttling until the department paid Verizon more, according to Bowden’s declaration and emails between the fire department and Verizon that were submitted as evidence.
The throttling recently affected “OES 5262,” a fire department vehicle that is “deployed to large incidents as a command and control resource” and is used to “track, organize, and prioritize routing of resources from around the state and country to the sites where they are most needed,” Bowden wrote.
“OES 5262 also coordinates all local government resources deployed to the Mendocino Complex Fire,” an ongoing wildfire that is the largest in California’s history, Bowden wrote.
The vehicle has a device that uses a Verizon SIM card for Internet access.
“These reduced speeds severely interfered with the OES 5262′s ability to function effectively. My Information Technology staff communicated directly with Verizon via email about the throttling, requesting it be immediately lifted for public safety purposes.”
Verizon did not immediately restore full speeds to the device, however.
“Verizon representatives confirmed the throttling, but rather than restoring us to an essential data transfer speed, they indicated that County Fire would have to switch to a new data plan at more than twice the cost, and they would only remove throttling after we contacted the Department that handles billing and switched to the new data plan,” Bowden wrote.
Verizon “risking harm to public safety”
Because the throttling continued until the department was able to upgrade its subscription, “County Fire personnel were forced to use other agencies’ Internet Service Providers and their own personal devices to provide the necessary connectivity and data transfer capability required by OES 5262,” Bowden wrote.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Fiber-optic cable market primed for worldwide growth: Analyst
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2018/08/fiber-optic-cable-market-primed-for-worldwide-growth-analyst.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-08-20&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2212288
Now available from Infinium Global Research and Consulting Solutions (IGR), a new industry report charts how rising demand for high quality internet services for cloud computing, e-commerce, social media, and other applications is driving the growth of the global market for fiber-optic cables. IGR anticipates that increasing demand for cost-effective, power-efficient and high-level integration of IT infrastructure will also boost market demand over the forecast period (2018-2024).
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wired LANs: The Oft-Forgotton Connectivity Option
Reliable pulse transformers are the key to more reliable wired LANs.
https://www.designnews.com/electronics-test/wired-lans-oft-forgotton-connectivity-option/168914463959255?ADTRK=UBM&elq_mid=5342&elq_cid=876648
Tomi Engdahl says:
TSN: Evolution, next steps for industrial systems
https://www.controleng.com/single-article/tsn-evolution-next-steps-for-industrial-systems/55c28cf0c40867f7d5e6852be57cbfa4.html?OCVALIDATE=
Technology Update: IEEE Time Sensitive Networking evolves standard Ethernet to enable deterministic networking that supports coexistence of critical and non-critical forms of traffic. Experts provide TSN updates and explanations.
The latest set of IEEE 802.1 standards, Time Sensitive Networking (TSN), is an evolution of standard Ethernet to enable deterministic networking that supports critical and non-critical forms of traffic in coexistence. Industrial network system designers and engineers, as well as end-users, benefit from the use of TSN in their systems by accessing a network that promises reduced latency, shared synchronized time, and convergence of control traffic and standard Ethernet traffic. The technology continuously has been advancing alongside the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) with new capabilities, use cases, and tools that are contributing to industrial applications.
IIoT demand has been growing steadily and will continue to do so more rapidly due to advancement and adoption of networking technologies. According to a report by Zion Research, the IIoT market will grow due to the benefits of manufacturing cost reduction and sensor data contribution to real-time supply chain information. This growth is creating increased amounts of data that will be harvested through distributed networks and will require new standards for managing and transferring critical information. These factors create opportunities for IIoT, Industrie 4.0 and evolving technologies to support this necessary business shift.
Avnu Alliance, a consortium responsible for creating conformance tools for TSN device testing and fostering the manufacturer ecosystem of devices for industrial networked systems, is working to drive interoperability for IIoT devices. In 2017 Avnu Alliance’s industrial segment worked with top companies to advance tools for TSN via participation in TSN testbeds, plugfests, and interoperability workshops for industrial applications.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rohde & Schwarz investigates mobile telecommunications infrastructure on the A9
https://www.eeweb.com/profile/eeweb/news/rohde-schwarz-investigates-mobile-telecommunications-infrastructure-on-the-a9
The future of transportation lies in automated driving and complex driver assistance systems. This requires that all vehicles be connected with their surroundings via a high-performance mobile communications infrastructure. Rohde & Schwarz T&M equipment is being used in the Providentia research project. The technology group is investigating existing mobile communications systems (GSM, UMTS and LTE) along a test route and supporting the development of the new fifth generation (5G) mobile communications.
Rohde & Schwarz is a partner in the Providentia research project on the “proactive video-based use of telecommunications technologies in innovative highway scenario”.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Twenty-two states ask appeals court to bring back net neutrality
https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/21/twenty-two-states-ask-appeals-court-to-bring-back-net-neutrality/?sr_share=facebook&utm_source=tcfbpage
Early this year, the attorneys general of 22 states and the District of Columbia filed a suit attempting to block the Federal Communications Commission’s controversial revesal of Obama era net neutrality regulations.
The old team is back together, filing a brief that asks the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to reverse the reversal. Together, the AGs represent states totaling 165 million people — more than half of the U.S. population.
Reuters notes, Mozilla, Vimeo and Etsy also joined forces today to file a legal challenge, while governors in six states have signed executive orders and three states have passed their own net neutrality laws.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sending Email from Underwater
https://blog.hackster.io/sending-email-from-underwater-1cb42b8c4f98
Wireless Communication from Underwater to the Air
Radio waves don’t penetrate water. The exception is what is know as ELF, extremely low frequencies, which the major navies use to talk to their submarines. But using ELF isn’t really practical for the rest of us due to the antenna sizes, which need to be thousands of miles long, which also means that communication is one way.
a new system called Translational Acoustic-RF (TARF), being worked on by the Signal Kinetics group at the MIT Media Lab, might prove useful.
“A TARF transmitter sends standard sound (or SONAR signals). Sound travels as pressure waves; when these waves hit the surface, they cause it to vibrate. To pick up these vibrations, a TARF receiver in the air uses a very sensitive radar.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Australia bans Huawei and ZTE from supplying technology for its 5G network
https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/22/australia-bans-huawei-and-zte-from-supplying-technology-for-its-5g-network/?sr_share=facebook&utm_source=tcfbpage
Australia has blocked Huawei and ZTE from providing equipment for its 5G network, which is set to launch commercially next year. In a tweet, Huawei stated that the Australian government told the company that both it and ZTE are banned from supplying 5G technology to the country, despite Huawei’s assurances that it does not pose a threat to national security.
Tomi Engdahl says:
In the Age of IoT, the FCC’s Way of Valuing Radio Spectrum Is Broken
https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/wireless/in-the-age-of-iot-the-fccs-way-of-valuing-radio-spectrum-is-broken
This fall, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has a chance to set a precedent for how one of the most precious of resources in modern society—radio spectrum—is valued. That precedent could in turn help jump-start the next era of wireless innovation.
As part of its rulemaking around the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS), the FCC will make available up to 150 megahertz of spectrum for wireless communications.
prices are measured relative to “MHz pops” (megahertz passing one person).
The FCC needs to start thinking beyond cellphones and people: We are now building a world of connected devices, where sensors, appliances, drones, and tractors need cellular connections too.
CBRS is a vast swath of spectrum in the 3,550-to-3,700-MHz range currently used by the U.S. Navy and some satellite providers. It’s relatively lightly used,
So far, the band is attracting a lot of interest beyond the traditional cellular carriers and cable companies.
the FCC should focus on devices or uses rather than number of people covered.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ethernet WAN Encryption Solutions Compared
https://www.senetas.com/ethernet-wan-encryption-solutions-compared/
A comparison of purpose-designed, certified encryption hardware with the application of the Media Access Control security standard (MACsec) for Ethernet WAN encryption.
In a recent technical paper, Senetas examined the pros and cons of the application of the MACsec standard in network devices such as routers and switches. It highlights important security and performance trade-offs not found in Senetas dedicated encryption hardware and compares the benefits of Senetas Layer 2 high-speed hardware encryption (HSE) with integrated encryption using MACsec or Trustsec.
In summary, because the MACsec standard was designed to protect data on Local Area Networks (LANs), it is not suitable for use on Wide or Metropolitan Area Networks (WANs or MANs).
Tomi Engdahl says:
Innovations in Ethernet Encryption (802.1AE – MACsec) for Securing High Speed (1-100GE) WAN Deployments
https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/docs/solutions/Enterprise/Security/MACsec/WP-High-Speed-WAN-Encrypt-MACsec.pdf
The Growing Interest in High Speed Encryption
For many years, IP Security (IPsec) was synonymous with encryption in the WAN,
specifically over the Internet. It
has been the dominant encryption solution for customers back
-
hauling business traffic from remote and branch
office locations, as well as being the encryption choice of most Virtual Private Network (VPN) clients. IPsec i
s an
encryption solution operating at the IP layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model and is flexible in
that it can operate over any IP transport including private and public (Internet) transport. Many large
-
scale IPsec
deployments are curren
tly in operation across enterprise and government networks today.
IPsec has proven to be extremely flexible, transport agnostic, and capable of scaling to thousands of end devices.
It is, however, proving to be more challenging from an overall throughput p
erspective for newer applications and
cloud providers. Several shifts in new applications and the explosion of cloud are changing designs, including:
●
Increasing bandwidth demands over the WAN for branch offices, application deliveries, video content
distri
bution, and data center intraconnections.
●
Fewer applications are run locally in branch locations, and thus driving the need for higher speed transport.
●
Highly resilient cloud computing architectures driving high
-
speed data center replication across
geographically dispersed locations.
●
Traffic pattern changes to a more any
-
to
-
any model, dictated by trends such as cloud, machine
-
to
-
machine
(M2M) communications, and the Internet of Things (IoT) and Internet of Everything (IoE).
●
Encryption landscape that
is changing in the U.S. government (Commercial Solutions for Classified CSfC,
transport security) that is driving the need for high
-
speed layered encryption solution offerings.
Tomi Engdahl says:
MACsec: a different solution to encrypt network traffic
https://developers.redhat.com/blog/2016/10/14/macsec-a-different-solution-to-encrypt-network-traffic/
MACsec is an IEEE standard for security in wired ethernet LANs. This blog , will give an overview of what MACsec is, how it differs from other security standards, and present some ideas about how it can be used.
MACsec is a Layer 2 protocol that relies on GCM-AES-128 to offer integrity and confidentiality, and operates over ethernet.
It can secure all traffic within a LAN, including DHCP and ARP, as well as traffic from higher layer protocols.
It is an extension to 802.1X provides secure key exchange and mutual authentication for MACsec nodes.
IPsec (a Layer 3 security protocol) and TLS (a Layer 4 security protocol) offer different guarantees and can be a better fit, depending on the use case.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Infrastructure MACsec
http://h22208.www2.hpe.com/eginfolib/networking/docs/switches/K-KA-KB/15-18/5998-8150_access_security_guide/content/v32677596.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Analysts gawp at network function virtualization through rose-tinted specs
$4,500 report tells us its gonna be huge by, er, 2022. No, really
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/08/29/idc_nfv_market_forecast/
Professional prognosticator IDC has woken up to the network function virtualization (NFV) market and decided that service orchestration is the place to be.
Giants like AT&T and Verizon have long shown interest in virtualizing their infrastructure, but wider market activity has remained relatively sober with global sales worth a mere $564m in 2017, IDC said.
However, the abacus fondler has the market piling on bulk at a swift rate: IDC predicted a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 58 per cent between 2017 and 2022 to hit $5.6bn.
The analyst used the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) definitions to segment the NFV market: software-defined compute; networking; storage; management; and orchestration.
IDC highlighted the difficulty of orchestrating network services across complex physical and virtual network functions and across multiple vertical domains which will give that segment its value.
The other hot properties in NFV, IDC ventured, will be software-defined networking (SDN), both in telco cloud data centres and between carrier clouds.
The forecast tags 5G and virtual routing rollouts as the domains behind its predicted NFV growth.
It’d be nice to cross-check IDC’s number-crunching with its arch-rival, but Gartner’s patented hype-cycle view of NFV was that it’s sliding into the “trough of disillusionment”.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
Appeals court upholds FCC’s ruling removing price caps on dedicated data lines from ISPs like AT&T and Verizon, gives FCC wide leeway to evaluate competition
FCC can define markets with only one ISP as “competitive,” court rules
The FCC can “choose which evidence to believe,” court says.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/08/fcc-can-define-markets-with-only-one-isp-as-competitive-court-rules/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Can a script kiddie pwn your SD-WAN? Better check the config, friend
Unpatched, outdated software abounds, say researchers
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/08/30/vulnerable_sdwan_census/
Russian researchers armed with Shodan and Censys have identified nearly 5,000 SD-WANs with vulnerable management interfaces.
It won’t surprise anyone, The Register suspects, that most of the problems the three researchers (Denis Kolegov and Antony Nikolaev of Tomsk State University, and DarkMatter’s Sergey Gordeychik) discovered are down to “outdated software and insecure configuration”.
In this paper at arXiv, they explained how their active and passive fingerprinting showed that vendors or users failing to update their SD-WAN applications and (usually) Linux operating systems made SD-WANs “low-hanging fruit even for a script kiddie”.
Among the vendors whose systems they found accessible from the internet were all big, familiar names – Cisco, VMware, Citrix, SilverPeak, Huawei, Arista – along with another nine smaller outfits.
The researchers confined themselves to the management interface only, not touching any data plane interface (for one thing, messing around with the SD-WANs’ internals would create a juicy legal jeopardy).
“In general, the accessibility of management interface on the internet indicates the presence of CWE-749 weakness ‘Exposed Dangerous Method or Function’,” the paper stated.
After querying the target systems they found on Shodan and Censys (and cleaning up the results), it was straightforward to identify vendors and versions, because whether the systems used SSH, HTML, JSON, JavaScript or SNMP, they responded to contact with information like “viptela 17.2.4″ (from Cisco).
https://arxiv.org/abs/1808.09027
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:
California passes a strong net neutrality bill, which now goes to governor; EFF has called it a “gold standard net neutrality bill” — It heads for the Governor’s desk next — California’s legislature has approved a bill being called the strongest net neutrality law in the US.
California passes strongest net neutrality law in the country
It heads for the Governor’s desk next
https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/31/17805892/california-sb822-net-neutrality-law-vote
California’s legislature has approved a bill being called the strongest net neutrality law in the US. The bill would ban internet providers from blocking and throttling legal content and prioritizing some sites and services over others. It would apply these restrictions to both home and mobile connections.
That would essentially restore the net neutrality rules enacted federally under former President Barack Obama, which were later repealed by the Federal Communications Commission under the watch and guidance of current chairman Ajit Pai. But this bill actually goes further than those rules with an outright ban on zero-rating — the practice of offering free data, potentially to the advantage of some companies over others — of specific apps. Zero-rating would, however, still be allowed as long as the free data applies to an entire category of apps. So an ISP could offer free data for all video streaming apps, but not just for Netflix.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Daring Thailand cave rescue: The technology behind it
https://www.edn.com/design/analog/4461048/Daring-Thailand-cave-rescue–The-technology-behind-it-?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=link&utm_medium=EDNFunFriday-20180831
The Tham Luang Nang Non cave rescue in Thailand was an interesting application and a very challenging communications problem. Kudos to the brave rescuers, and our condolences to the family of the brave Navy Seal who died in an earlier rescue effort; he was a true hero.
A big part of the communications effort challenge that this rescue team encountered involved a cave that was 2.5 miles long. A traditional walkie-talkie that rescuers use would never provide communication over this stretch of rock and water.
This is where Maxtech entered the picture. Their designs take advantage of transceiver technology to create a software defined radio (SDR) and develop a protocol that created an ad hoc network.
If the propagation is poor, you can go to a narrower bandwidth that allows for a longer range link.
ADI is developing more communications products like this, with some interesting new capabilities specifically for this market, since many of these radios that first responders use are quickly becoming obsolete.
Hanuni dispatched an engineer and several of his MaxMesh radios to the scene of the rescue effort. Maxtech was able to simulate the topography of the inside of the cave tunnel with their simulated topography setup. The system that does this is in Israel and looks like a group of walkie-talkies, except that the Maxtech ability to connect those radios allows for a system that is extremely valuable in harsh environments where standard rescue communications equipment would not work. Conventional walkie-talkies can communicate with one another only if they are in the line-of-sight, and need relays and repeaters to spread the signal.
Maxtech handheld solutions act as the repeaters. Each radio is also a relay, with built-in intelligent frequency modulation algorithms.
Maxtech technology
According to Maxtech, max mesh professional mobile radio is a software layer that combines the advantages of fixed mesh and mobile dynamic ad-hoc networks, based on the end unit for voice, data, and video applications. The system automatically adapts to varying network conditions, degrees of client mobility, and relevant RF environmental conditions on a packet-by-packet basis, creating a virtual infrastructure with an ad-hoc, self-healing, and self-routing multi-user network. This, plus a bandwidth allocation method, enable the deployment and operation of mesh networks with high performance and low costs.
The max mesh core software algorithm enables all mobile radios and communication devices to become part of a mobile ad hoc network (MANET). The hybrid routing algorithm combines both proactive and reactive routing techniques to enable a highly scalable network solution.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Drilling down on the ANSI/TIA-568.2-D cabling standard
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2018/08/belden-ansi-tia-568-d-cabling.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-09-04&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2225763
We’ve been talking about the changes that ANSI/TIA-568.2-D will bring to twisted-pair cabling – and those changes are finally here! The ANSI/TIA-568.2-D standard has been approved to replace ANSI/TIA-568-C.2, and is currently being published. To make sure you understand the latest updates the new standard brings, we’ll here go over the most impactful changes.
The addition of the Modular Plug Terminated Link (MPTL) configuration
The addition of the Modular Plug Terminated Link (MPTL) configuration
As we first reported here, ANSI/TIA-568.2-D will support the use of MPTL, a configuration where a horizontal cable run connects directly to a device when it terminates on one end to an RJ45 plug. In the past, MPTL wasn’t recognized. In this update, however, it is acceptable to connect a device in this fashion when deploying an outlet, faceplate and equipment cord isn’t practical.
We like to refer to the MPTL configuration as “direct connect.” This method efficiently connects IP devices to the network.
The addition of 28 AWG patch cords
ANSI/TIA-568.2-D will now support the use of 28 AWG patch cords in certain applications as well. Previously, the standard’s stance was that the cables shouldn’t be used since they didn’t meet requirements. Instead, the standard had recommended four balanced twisted-pair cables — 22 AWG to 26 AWG.
The addition of 28 AWG guidance is good news for high-density applications where congestion, airflow and sharp bend radius are important considerations.
When it comes to using 28 AWG patch cords with Power over Ethernet (PoE), the standard will also include an addendum at some point that maps out special considerations that need to be made. For example, the short answer to: “Can I use 28 AWG patch cords for PoE?” is “yes.” But there are some limitations for applications that demand more than 30W. (To play it safe, Belden recommends keeping 28 AWG PoE patch cords in bundles of 12 or less to minimize cable temperature rise.)
Other notable additions
One of them being the inclusion of Category 8 cabling. The standard will add the Category 8 cabling addendum originally included in ANSI/TIA-568-C.2-1 and incorporate it into the standard.
Also called out will be TSB-184-A, Guidelines for Supporting Power Delivery Over Balanced Twisted-Pair Cabling, which provides recommendations for twisted-pair cables that support IEEE 802.3bt PoE. One of the main testing parameters included in TSB-184-A will also be part of ANSI/TIA-568.2-D: DC resistance unbalance within and between pairs
Tomi Engdahl says:
Olga Kharif / Bloomberg:
Study with data from 100,000 phones shows US telcos are throttling services like YouTube and Netflix, led by Verizon, while Sprint throttles the least — – Wehe app shows videos streaming at fraction of available speed — As FCC backs off, researcher becomes net-neutrality watchdog
YouTube, Netflix Videos Found to Be Slowed by Wireless Carriers
By Olga Kharif
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-04/youtube-and-netflix-throttled-by-carriers-research-finds
The largest U.S. telecom companies are slowing internet traffic to and from popular apps like YouTube and Netflix, according to new research from Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
The researchers used a smartphone app called Wehe, downloaded by about 100,000 consumers, to monitor which mobile services are being throttled when and by whom, in what likely is the single largest running study of its kind.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Abdi Latif Dahir / Quartz:
Benin imposes a per-megabyte tax on its citizens for accessing the internet and social media apps, joining other African countries like Zambia and Uganda
Benin is the latest African nation taxing the internet
https://qz.com/africa/1377582/benin-is-taxing-use-of-social-media-apps-like-facebook-whatsapp/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cellular Network Backup and Failover Takes Center Stage
https://www.electronicdesign.com/industrial-automation/cellular-network-backup-and-failover-takes-center-stage?code=UM_NN8DS_010&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=19564&utm_medium=email&elq2=24cfaf26357b4bd3b0cb46ba13993c21
Sponsored by Digi-Key and Digi International: Wired alternatives are being displaced by extremely reliable cellular technology that is more than fast enough for the clear majority of use applications.
Before 3G and now 4G networks became a trusted source for failover and network backup, organizations relied on DSL, ISDN, or even T1 lines as secondary communication sources. Today, cellular networks are replacing these wired alternatives as they are extremely reliable and more than fast enough for the clear majority of use cases, from retail to critical infrastructure. The fifth generation of cellular technology promises to dramatically increase these capabilities, effectively making wireless communications the “go to” technology for an even greater variety of failover, private network, and backup applications.
Network outage is a billion-dollar problem, and annoyance for some but an absolute disaster for others whose business relies on the ability to have reliable, high-speed connection to the Internet. And today, this applies to almost every business, academic institution, government agency, and many others as well.
Estimates of network downtime costs range from an average of 324 hours a year to five times that or more depending on the source. Some companies, including supermarkets and retailers, report that at least one store will have downtime once a week
Tomi Engdahl says:
Communications Latency: How Low Can You Go?
https://www.mwrf.com/systems/communications-latency-how-low-can-you-go?NL=MWRF-001&Issue=MWRF-001_20180904_MWRF-001_497&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=19640&utm_medium=email&elq2=ed4e41277c9f410b9b91f53ca53eb5e1
Latency has become a critical factor in many communications applications these days. Latency, of course, is the short delay that occurs due to the time it takes a signal to travel from one point to another, either in free space or some medium. In the past, latency did not matter that much. After all, most electronic signals travel at the speed of light or a bit less, and for most of us that’s fast enough. We can never go faster than that anyway. Let’s face it, there’s no such thing as zero latency. But less would be welcome.
Some of the newer communications applications require or would like less latency. Factory control systems often need short and deterministic timing to be successful. The new 5G wireless systems have been created to keep latency to a minimum. The target has been to get below 10 ms, down to about 1 ms. Self-driving and other connected cars with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications must have low latency to function safely and effectively. A more recent demanding application involves financial trading operations.
Electronic trading is mostly automated, so buying and selling happens super-fast. The faster, the better, as you can exploit your competition and take advantage of arbitrage opportunities. To make the most profit, communication delays must be very short. A few milliseconds make all the difference between success and failure.
Banks and other financial institutions use fiber-optic links for electronic trading. While fast, the optical networks also have latency. The speed of light slows down when passing through glass fiber. The index of refraction and IR signal wavelength determine the amount of delay. A general rule of thumb is a delay of 5 µs/km or about 8 µs/mile for single-mode fiber. Of course, other factors like electrical-to-optical conversion time and vice versa, SERDES, and packet format and length will have an impact on the overall transmission time.
Right now, a typical link from New York to London has a one-way latency in the 30- to 40-ms range.
Some organizations have adopted the unexpected use of shortwave (SW) radio in the 3- to 30-MHz part of the spectrum. Signal propagation is by sky wave, which is refracted from the ionosphere back to earth and in some cases reflected back up for another bounce. The result is that a small signal can easily travel around the globe using multiple skips. Latency must be less than 30 ms to be useful. It’s not known what frequencies are being used.
Speed, speed, speed…it’s the mantra in modern communications, and most any kind of latency has become intolerable.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Juniper, Ericsson sign 5G product pact
Pour an aquavit, pour a gin, take a deeeep breath …
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/09/05/juniper_ericsson_sign_5g_product_pact/
Juniper and Ericsson are extending a long-standing love-in to cover 5G network tech.
In the joint product bag, Ericsson will handle everything from the air interface to base station backhaul, and Juniper will haul packets around the core network.
Ericsson’s contribution will be access networking (the Router 6000 platform providing Common Public Radio Interface, CPRI, and Ethernet CPRI transport), and its MINI-LINK microwave systems. It will also provide management and orchestration across its own and Juniper’s products.
Juniper’s contribution to the portfolio includes its MX and PTX Series routers, and the SRX Series firewall and gateway.
The companies highlighted 5G’s demand for low latency, high capacity, high numbers of connected devices, and security as reasons for tighter integration between 5G radio, core, and transport networking. Ericsson gives Juniper exposure to the market for mobile carrier builds. And there’s also the matter of financials: both companies see 5G builds as a way out of a market that’s been sluggish of late.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Strewth! Aussie ISP gets eye-watering IPv4 bill, shifts to IPv6 addresses
When the bottom line gets bashed, priorities change
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/09/04/aussie_broadband_ipv6/
For years, internet engineers have predicted that the cost of an ever-smaller pool of IPv4 addresses would cause people to shift to the internet’s new IPv6 protocol. Well, it finally appears to be happening.
Speaking at the annual conference of Australian Network Operators late last week, the managing director of ISP Aussie Broadband, Phillip Britt, told attendees that his company had decided to speed up IPv6 adoption after it calculated the growing cost of sticking with IPv4.
“The high cost of IPv4 space led to us speeding up our IPv6 project,” Britt noted in his presentation [PDF], “and we are now looking at carrier-grade NAT vendors as a longer term solution rather then buying more IPv4 space.”
CG-NAT is still not IPv6 but it is a step forward to moving to the new protocol, and comes after Britt revealed that his company had spent AU $380,000 ($273,000, £212,200) acquiring a /18 block of IPv4 addresses back in June. It has calculated it needs to buy another equally sized block of just over 16,000 addresses next month – which will cost even more: AU $405,000 ($291,000, £226,200).
He calculated that that new block would only last until the end of November, requiring yet another expensive purchase. Put into a spreadsheet, the cost of sticking with the old addresses becomes all the more stark: it will save the company millions of dollars to shift to IPv6.
“Moving to CG-NAT has become an economic decision,”
Not waiting
Originally the company was not planning to move to Carrier Grade NAT (CG-NAT) – where end users are given private network addresses that are then translated into public IPv4 addresses at middleboxes in an ISP’s network – until it was in a position to offer native IPv6, Britt told attendees.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Automotive Chipset Supports DSRC and C-V2X
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333666
Israel-based Autotalks has launched what it says is the first global V2X (vehicle-to-everything) solution supporting both dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) and the C-V2X direct communications (PC5 protocol) in a single automotive-qualified chipset.
In recent years, V2X diverged into two different technologies — DSRC and C-V2X — with fundamentally different architectures, making it difficult to harmonize a single global solution.
While DSRC-based V2X is deployed in the U.S., Europe, and Japan, C-V2X is gaining momentum in other regions, including China. Autotalks says that its chipset now supports DSRC based on the 802.11p/ITS-G5 standards and C-V2X based on 3GPP specifications.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Thailand Cave Rescue: Communications Was Key
https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1333648
Software-defined radios formed a wireless mesh network that kept hope alive for 12 boys and their soccer coach.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Daring Thailand cave rescue: The technology behind it
https://www.edn.com/design/analog/4461048/Daring-Thailand-cave-rescue–The-technology-behind-it-?utm_source=Aspencore&utm_medium=EDN&utm_campaign=social
The Tham Luang Nang Non cave rescue in Thailand was an interesting application and a very challenging communications problem.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Make BGP great again, er, no, for the first time: NIST backs internet route security brainwave
It’s always a good idea to know who you’re talking to
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/09/06/nist_bgp_rpki/
A proposal for securing BGP – the protocol that lays out the traffic pathways of the internet – has a another backer: NIST, aka America’s National Institute for Standards and Technology.
The US government agency has issued a discussion paper outlining the use of Route Origin Validation (ROV) to protect the notoriously all-too-trusting Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) from route hijacking.
BGP, in a nutshell, allows the patchwork of large networks that make up the global internet announce to each other how to thread everyone’s connections through mazes of machines crisscrossing the planet until they reach their intended destinations.
The ancient protocol was written with the “good chaps theory” as one of its fundamental assumptions – since network operators knew each other in 1989, “good chaps” would never sabotage each others’ networks, mistakes were genuine gaffes, and you could phone someone who blundered and rerouted packets to the wrong machines.
It’s a cinch to hijack and intercept traffic to a stranger’s network, by announcing your network as the best route to reach them and then consuming the packets for yourself. Amazon Web Services was attacked in such a way this earlier this year, for example.
The NIST’s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, with a group of vendors, has forged that draft RPKI technology into what it this week called “proof-of-concept demonstrations” of BGP route origin verification
Cisco, Juniper Networks, Palo Alto Networks, AT&T, CenturyLink, Comcast, and the George Washington University in the US helped NIST prepare the paperwork.
BGP ROV certainly needs a boost: in June, research discussed in this APNIC blog post said adoption of the security measures was “bleak.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Silicon Photonics Stumbles at the Last Meter
https://spectrum.ieee.org/semiconductors/optoelectronics/silicon-photonics-stumbles-at-the-last-meter
With the combined might of silicon digital logic, optoelectronics, and optical–fiber communication, anything seemed possible.
Engineers envisioned all of these advances continuing and converging to the point where photonics would merge with electronics and eventually replace it. Photonics would move bits not just across countries but inside data centers, even inside computers themselves. Fiber optics would move data from chip to chip, they thought. And even those chips would be photonic: Many expected that someday blazingly fast logic chips would operate using photons rather than electrons.
It never got that far, of course. Companies and governments plowed hundreds of millions of dollars into developing new photonic components and systems that link together racks of computer servers inside data centers using optical fibers. And indeed, today, those photonic devices link racks in many modern data centers. But that is where the photons stop. Within a rack, individual server boards are still connected to each other with inexpensive copper wires and high-speed electronics. And, of course, on the boards themselves, it’s metal conductors all the way to the processor.
Attempts to push the technology into the servers themselves, to directly feed the processors with fiber optics, have foundered on the rocks of economics. Admittedly, there is an Ethernet optical transceiver market of close to US $4 billion per year that’s set to grow to nearly $4.5 billion and 50 million components by 2020
The technical challenges are still formidable.
Each photonics transceiver module has three main kinds of components: a transmitter containing one or more optical modulators, a receiver containing one or more photodiodes, and CMOS logic chips to encode and decode data. Because ordinary silicon is actually lousy at emitting light, the photons come from a laser that’s separate from the silicon chips (though it can be housed in the same package with them). Rather than switch the laser on and off to represent bits, the laser is kept on, and electronic bits are encoded onto the laser light by an optical modulator.
This modulator, the heart of the transmitter, can take a few forms.
The receiver is much simpler; it’s basically a photodiode and some supporting circuitry.
most of the electronic logic is separate from the photonics.
With optical components on silicon integrated circuits becoming increasingly available, you might be tempted to think that the integration of photonics directly into processor chips was inevitable. And indeed, for a time it seemed so.
The trouble is that a typical photonic component, such as a modulator, can’t be made much smaller than the wavelength of the light it’s going to carry, limiting it to about 1 micrometer wide. There is no Moore’s Law that can overcome this.
The massive amount of system function that each square micrometer of a silicon electronic chip area can deliver makes it very expensive to replace even relatively few transistors with lower-functioning components such as photonics.
modulator that occupies a relatively small area of 10µm by 10µm is displacing a circuit comprising 10,000 transistors! And recall that a typical photonic modulator acts as a simple switch, turning light on and off.
So, roughly speaking, the opportunity cost for this primitive function is 10,000:1 against the photonic component
No chipmaker is willing to accept such a high price, even in exchange for the measurable improvements in performance and efficiency you might get by integrating the modulators right onto the processor.
The idea of substituting photonics for electronics on chips encounters other snags, too.
integrating a competing photonic function on the same chip as electronics makes no sense.
That’s not to say photonics can’t get a lot closer to processors, memory, and other key chips than it does now. Today, the market for optical interconnects in the data center focuses on systems called top-of-rack (TOR) switches, into which the photonic transceiver modules are plugged.
But the flow of data within the rack and inside the servers themselves is still done using copper wires. That’s unfortunate, because they are becoming an obstacle to the goal of building faster, more energy-efficient systems. Photonic solutions for this last meter (or two) of interconnect—either to the server or even to the processor itself—represent possibly the best opportunity to develop a truly high-volume optical component market. But before that can happen, there are some serious challenges to overcome in both price and performance.
So-called fiber-to-the-processor schemes are not new. And there are many lessons from past attempts about cost, reliability, power efficiency, and bandwidth density.
The industry standard today for the spacing between neighboring fibers in a 12-fiber-wide array is 0.25 mm, giving a bandwidth density of about 0.4 Tb/s/mm. In other words, in 100 seconds each millimeter could handle as much data as the U.S. Library of Congress’s Web Archive team stores in a month.
Today processors, memory, and storage make up what’s called a server blade, which is housed in a chassis in a rack in the data center. But it need not be so. Instead of placing memory with the server chips, memory could sit separately in the rack or even in a separate rack. This rack-scale architecture (RSA) is thought to use computing resources more efficiently
. Silicon photonics already has one cost advantage, which is that it can leverage existing chip manufacturing, taking advantage of silicon’s huge infrastructure and reliability. Nevertheless, silicon and light are not a perfect fit: Apart from their crippling inefficiency at emitting light, silicon components suffer from large optical losses as well. As measured by light in to light out, a typical silicon photonic transceiver experiences greater than a 10-decibel (90 percent) optical loss.
The accuracy with which such single-mode fibers must be aligned in a connector is around 100 nm—about one one-thousandth the diameter of a human hair—or the signal will become too degraded.
Wafer-scale integration means making photonics on one wafer of silicon, electronics on another, and then attaching the wafers. The paired wafers are then diced up into chips designed to be nearly complete modules. (The laser, which is made from a semiconductor other than silicon, remains separate.)
If silicon photonics is ever going to make it big in what are otherwise all-electronic systems, there will have to be compelling technical and business reasons for it. The components must solve an important problem and greatly improve the overall system. They must be small, energy efficient, and super-reliable, and they must move data extraordinarily fast.
Today, there is no solution that meets all these requirements
Tomi Engdahl says:
HFT On HF, You Can’t Beat It For Latency
https://hackaday.com/2018/05/12/hft-on-hf-you-cant-beat-it-for-latency/
Many of those shortwave broadcast stations are now long gone, but if you imagine the HF spectrum is dead, think again. An unexpected find in an industrial park near Chicago led to an interesting look at the world of high-frequency trading, or HFT, and how they have moved to using shortwave links when everyone else has abandoned them, because of the unparalleled low latency they offer when communicating across the world.
Shortwave Trading | Part I | The West Chicago Tower Mystery
https://sniperinmahwah.wordpress.com/2018/05/07/shortwave-trading-part-i-the-west-chicago-tower-mystery/
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8409-seuraava-nettiyhteytesi-kulkee-ledivalon-mukana
Tomi Engdahl says:
Optical fibre made in orbit should be better than the terrestrial sort
It will have fewer flaws and longer lengths
https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2018/09/08/optical-fibre-made-in-orbit-should-be-better-than-the-terrestrial-sort
Made in Space and FOMS (Fiber Optic Manufacturing in Space) are both proposing to manufacture optical fibre of the highest quality in the free-falling conditions of the International Space Station. At $1m a kilogram, this is a material that is well worth the trip to and from orbit.
Optical fibres are made by pulling glass into strands which have a diameter similar to that of human hair. Cables filled with these fibres have revolutionised telecommunications.
Optical fibre could, though, be better than it is. The glass used contains impurities that both absorb and scatter part of the light passing through it. This can be ameliorated by adding germanium, which reduces absorption and scattering. But that is not a perfect answer.
Fibre made from ZBLAN has extremely low losses from absorption and scattering, particularly in the part of the spectrum called the mid-infrared, where conventional optical fibre does not work well.
ZBLAN fibres are, though, fragile. That makes drawing one that is more than about a kilometre long a hard task which, in turn, makes them useless for long-distance work. They also tend to contain tiny crystals that form when the material is cooling.
However, in the absence of stresses caused by gravity on the cooling material, much longer fibres could be drawn. Nor would the crystals form.
Both firms say they have built apparatus to produce ZBLAN fibres that is small and light enough to send to, and operate in, the space station.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The big picture for US comms contains a hole
https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/5g-waves/4461026/The-big-picture-for-US-comms-contains-a-hole?utm_source=Aspencore&utm_medium=EDN&utm_campaign=social
the last year or so, some of the largest cable companies have begun moving gingerly into the wireless portion of the market. Comcast began offering 4G services last summer through a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) agreement with Verizon, right around the same time the company declared its network was ready to evolve to 5G. Charter (Spectrum), also working with Verizon, launched 4G on the last day of June; it subsequently said it is testing 5G in several markets. Altice recently said it is building its own core network and will begin offering 5G service in 2019, working through an MVNO arrangement with Sprint.
The 5G market is drawing in more wireless participants, which will represent a little more of the direct competition that is still mostly lacking among US communications services providers (CSP).
Tomi Engdahl says:
Network Slicing
https://www.ericsson.com/en/digital-services/trending/network-slicing?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social_paid&utm_campaign=Brand_Finland_Digital-Services_20180530_Interest
Network slicing is a powerful virtualization capability and one of the key capabilities that will enable flexibility, as it allows multiple logical networks to be created on top of a common shared physical infrastructure. The greater elasticity brought about by network slicing will help to address the cost, efficiency, and flexibility requirements imposed by future demands.
Network slicing is a powerful virtualization capability and one of the key capabilities that will enable flexibility, as it allows multiple logical networks to be created on top of a common shared physical infrastructure. The greater elasticity brought about by network slicing will help to address the cost, efficiency, and flexibility requirements imposed by future demands.
A digital transformation, fueled by the power of mobility, cloud and broadband, is taking place in almost every industry. New use cases are emerging for consumers, enterprises and industries. This opens for new business opportunities for both operators and industries, starting already in 4G/LTE networks.
In addition to the complex performance and business challenges, the 5G environment presents new challenges in terms of timing and agility. The time it takes to get new features into the network, and time to put services in to the hands of users need to be minimized, and so tools that enable fast feature introduction are a prerequisite. Above all, overcoming the challenges requires a dynamic 5G network.
Network slicing in reality with operators
Technologies like SDN and virtualization are enabling a drastic change to take place in network architecture, allowing traditional structures to be broken down into customizable elements that can be chained together programmatically to provide just the right level of connectivity, with each element running on the architecture of its choice. This is the concept of network slicing that will enable networks to be built in a way that maximizes flexibility.
Tomi Engdahl says:
AV: From analog to digital to IP
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/print/volume-26/issue-8/features/installation/av-from-analog-to-digital-to-ip.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-09-10&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2231633
Penetration rates are low, but the potential is significant for the adoption of IP-based audio-video systems supported by high-performance twisted-pair cabling.
If you haven’t yet watched the online seminar titled “Cabling and Connectivity Requirements for Reliable AV,” you can find it on-demand at cablinginstall.com through November 30, 2018. During the seminar, which aired live on May 31, Panduit’s product manager for audio-video (AV) solutions Amy Hacker, and the company’s product manager for copper cable products Steve Kwasiborski, describe AV distribution technologies and the physical-layer system performance needed to support them.
During the seminar, Hacker pointed out, “AV systems have evolved from analog to digital to IP,” setting up a discussion about the cabling specification, design and installation methods that can best position an end-user organization to navigate this evolution.
Panduit’s Hacker elaborated that the introduction of HDMI—High-Definition Multimedia Interface—in 2002 marked the transition from analog to digital. “Before HDMI, 4K video wasn’t possible,” she explained. “The highest resolution was 720p. The HDMI connector and cable, with 16 pins and 16 pieces of copper wire, respectively, allowed more data transmission.”
The evolution to IP started a few years later, with the introduction of technology that allowed the extension of HDMI over twisted-pair cabling. 2010 marked another turning point with the introduction of HDBase-T, “which brought control, Ethernet, and power functions” she noted.
SDVoE
Hacker points to SDVoE—Software-Defined Video over Ethernet—as a next-generation video-transmission technology that improves the user experience and ratchets up the requirements on the system’s cabling infrastructure. SDVoE incorporates 10-Gbit speeds in the form of 10GBase-T.
In May Anixter joined the SDVoE Alliance. Around that same time the company’s vice president of technology, Andrew Jimenez, recorded an informative video on SDVoE. Jimenez explained, “SDVoE is the leading system for low-latency transmission of AV over IP. By leveraging the existing OSI Layer model established for network communications systems, SDVoE builds on the suite of 802.3 and 802.11 standards, and offers solutions for the full seven-layer OSI stack.
Jimenez further explained three advantages SDVoE holds over traditional AV distribution systems.
Cost: “Ethernet-based switches are widely available and do not require custom hardware configurations, which drive device port costs dramatically lower than traditional AV switching platforms.”
Futureproofing: “IEEE 802.3 standards support 10-Gbit/sec data rates over structured cabling that facilitates a transmission of uncompressed 4K video streams.”
Density: “Increased port counts due to converged applications are limiting available space within telecommunications rooms. With SDVoE, port densities of up to 48 per 1RU are achievable on many Ethernet switch platforms.”
The AV opportunity
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/print/volume-26/issue-8/departments/editorial/the-av-opportunity.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-09-10&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2231633
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why Category 6A is the best tech deal around: Industry opinion
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2018/09/commscope-cat6a-tech-blog.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-09-10&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2231633
I’m a proud bargain shopper. I love nothing more than getting a great product or service for a great price. I may put more effort into bargain hunting than most, but I believe most people appreciate a good deal. My extensive shopping experience tells me that Category 6A cabling is the best technology bargain available today.
here’s not many instances where you get so much more capability with so little additional investment than upgrading from Category 6 to 6A for your network.
The upgrade costs vary from 10 to 20 percent depending on network architectures and your local labor markets. That’s not to suggest 10 to 20 percent isn’t a significant budget consideration — it is. However, it’s important to remember that it’s an additional 10 to 20 percent on approximately 5 percent of your overall IT budget.
That’s right. While the performance of all your IT systems is highly dependent on the performance of your structured cabling system, it makes up a relatively small part of your IT budget.
I have yet to find a bargain that matches that of upgrading from Category 6 to 6A. It’s literally 1,000 percent more performance for 10 to 20 percent more cost.
Tomi Engdahl says:
FierceWireless: Study claims streaming video apps are being ‘throttled’ by carriers
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2018/09/fiercewireless-study-claims-streaming-video-apps-are-being-throttled-by-wireless-carriers.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-09-10&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2231633
FierceWireless.com is reporting that “researchers from Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts say online video apps like YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Prime are being throttled on wireless networks.
Study claims streaming video apps are being throttled by wireless carriers
https://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/study-claims-streaming-video-apps-are-being-throttled-by-wireless-carriers
Tomi Engdahl says:
Disruption Ahead for Ethernet Chips
https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1333676
The network industry is decoupling software from hardware, enabling new opportunities in the Ethernet switching market.
Data centers keep demanding more performance because the titans of cloud–Apple Google Facebook and Amazon–are constantly starved for faster connections and old design methods are not keeping pace. Disaggregation is about to hit the Ethernet chip market.
Looking at the numbers, the market has experienced a substantial increase in merchant silicon and demand for higher speed ports. 100 Gbps revenue surpassed 10 Gbps revenue for the first time in 2Q18 within the data center, furthermore, 25 Gbps serdes lanes are now more common in that space than any other previous technology. This signals the clear future trend.
A prominent way forward for chip design is increasingly defined by the transition away from network switch ASICs–dependent mainly on TSMC’s process node technology–to multi-chip or “chiplet” architectures. This evolution will shake up big silicon vendors such as Broadcom and Cisco who have done business in much the same way for years.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Drilling down on the ANSI/TIA-568.2-D cabling standard
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2018/08/belden-ansi-tia-568-d-cabling.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-09-04&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2225763
We’ve been talking about the changes that ANSI/TIA-568.2-D will bring to twisted-pair cabling – and those changes are finally here! The ANSI/TIA-568.2-D standard has been approved to replace ANSI/TIA-568-C.2, and is currently being published. To make sure you understand the latest updates the new standard brings, we’ll here go over the most impactful changes
Tomi Engdahl says:
What’s the Fastest Possible Internet Speed?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbKru71442k
It seems like internet speeds have grown rapidly in recent years, with gigabit home connections no longer uncommon – but can we go even FASTER?
Tomi Engdahl says:
3 EASY WAYS TO HIDE WIRES CABLES IN WALL & FIND STUDS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cNC4AN_us4
3 SUPER EASY WAYS How to hide wires in wall and find studs without studfinder or fish tape / rods, fishing wires from attic pass fireblock, through insulation down to floor, installer tools needed – magnepull, magnespot, Qbit saw
Tomi Engdahl says:
Autotalks Offers Connected Car Chips That Combine Rival Standards
https://www.electronicdesign.com/automotive/autotalks-offers-connected-car-chips-combine-rival-standards?Issue=ED-004_20180913_ED-
004_459&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_2_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=19900&utm_medium=email&elq2=7d5671b401094188a6c1400a4b272528
Autotalks, the connected car chip maker, announced that its latest chipset would support both dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) and cellular
vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology to allow vehicles to share their location and speed to help prevent accidents and bolster the safety of
autonomous driving systems. The communications processor could allow customers to switch between the rival standards.
The potential market for connected car chips has increased since the United States proposed that every new car would have to support DSRC. The mandate has
been delayed by the Trump administration’s regulatory slackness in addition to criticisms from companies that support C-V2X standard as an alternative.
C-V2X technology which could be used in vehicles within the next two years and added to the new 5G standard.
Many industry analysts disagree. “There is no similar federal rule for C-V2X and no wireless spectrum allocation,” noted James Sayer, director of the
University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute, in a paper. “Nor has there been the equivalent amount of testing or development of C-V2X. As
such, while DSRC is technically ready for deployment today, C-V2X would need a yet-unknown amount of additional time to develop, test, propose standards.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
White Paper: Mass Connectivity in the 5G Era
http://www.te.com/usa-en/industries/data-center/insights/mass-connectivity-5g-era.html?acctid=5820
Due to the fast-growing 4K/8K ultra-HD video applications and the ever increasing use of AR and VR applications, 5G is needed to supplement the capacity of 4G networks.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How can the fabric of a simple dress be part of our 5G vision?
Explore use cases that illustrate how industries transformed by 5G will enrich people’s lives.
https://www.qualcomm.com/news/onq/2018/08/01/how-can-fabric-simple-dress-be-part-our-5g-vision?cmpid=br5gus182540503228494347426562343
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mass Connectivity in the 5G Era
http://www.electronics-know-how.com/article/2709/mass-connectivity-in-the-5g-era
Tomi Engdahl says:
Leviton’s Cat 8 applications video
August 15, 2018
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2018/08/leviton-cat8-video.html
Leviton’s recent “Cat 8 Applications” video succinctly provides a graphic overview of how Category 8 cabling and connectivity will play a role in next-generation 25/40GBASE-T networks, while answering the questions: What are the practical applications for Cat 8? Where will it typically be deployed?
Tomi Engdahl says:
By any measure, test equipment impressed at the 2018 Cabling Innovators Awards
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2018/09/cabling-innovators-awards-test-equipment.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-09-12&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2237283
Providers of test and measurement equipment
are constantly innovating, both by their engineering nature and by the necessity of the dynamic systems their products scrutinize. Over any given time period, a number of innovative and forward-moving testing technologies emerges. At the 2018 Cabling Innovators Awards ceremony, held September 11, eight such innovations received recognition, including one platinum, four gold, and three silver honorees.
Cabling Innovators judging hooks up with top active infrastructure device makers
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2018/09/cimawards-active-infra.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-09-12&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2237283
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8418-dataa-veden-pinnan-alta
TARF (translational acoustic-RF communication)