The Ethernet Alliance this week said that an IEEE task force charged with creating a "Power over Ethernet Plus" standard for video has submitted a new draft that could help bring about a standard by next year.

The IEEE P802.3at task force has forwarded the P802.3at/Draft 3.0 to the IEEE 802.3 working group ballot for technical review as a draft standard.

Whereas IEEE 802.3af-2003 specifies PoE to consolidate voice and data services over a converged network infrastructure, PoE Plus is intended to add video services, such as those requiring high-end, pan-tilt-zoom video cameras, to the same networks. The 802.3 working group created the PoE Plus study group in November 2004 to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of providing increased power to devices over Ethernet, and approved creation of the P802.3at task force in July 2005.

The task force has been working with vendors and customers to deliver products providing up to 30 watts of power using Category 5 cables.

The Ethernet Alliance supports the P802.3at task force through its PoE/PoE Plus subcommittee, which conducts interoperability and technology demonstrations, "plugfests","Webinars" and authors white papers. The PoE/PoE Plus subcommittee plans to hold a plugfest and Webinar on PoE Plus later this year.

Ethernet Alliance expands

Meanwhile, the Ethernet Alliance has added 15 members and announced a schedule of upcoming interoperability plugfests.

New members are: Akros Silicon, Alcatel-Lucent, Amphenol, Chelsio, Fluke Networks, Gennum, Huawei, Kenet, Leoni Special Cables, Moschip Semiconductor, Realtek Semiconductor, Sarance Technologies, SMC Networks, St. Cloud State University and VIT University. Total membership stands at 89 members.

Upcoming plugfests include those for short wavelength multimode fiber transceiver (10GBASE-SR) and long wavelength single-mode fiber transceiver (10GBASE-LR) SFP+ optical modules, March 31 to April 4; and for passive electrical backplanes April 7 to 11. The plugfests will be conducted at the University of New Hampshire Interoperability Lab.

The 10GBASE-SR and 10GBASE-LR SFP+ plugfest will present several 10GBASE-SR and 10GBASE-LR SFP+ optical modules interoperating and compliant with IEEE Std. 802.3ae-2002. SFP+ enables high-density 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE)  connectivity using a small form factor previously only possible for GbE connections, the alliance says.

Ethernet Alliance members participating in the SFP+ optical modules plugfest include: AMCC, Avago Technologies, Broadcom, ClariPhy, Cortina Systems, ExceLight Communications, Finisar, Gennum, Inphi Corporation, Intel, JDSU, MergeOptics, NetLogic Microsystems, Opnext and Vitesse.

The backplane Ethernet plugfest will demonstrate IEEE Std. 802.3ap-2007 technology readiness. Backplane Ethernet allows transmission of serial 10GbE for up to 1 meter over passive electrical backplanes.

The goal of the plugfest is to advance the interoperability status of IEEE Std. 802.3ap-2007, according to the alliance. Ethernet Alliance members participating in the backplane Ethernet plugfest include: AMCC, NetLogic Microsystems and Vitesse.