Network Vendors Play The Green Card

Flatter networks use less power

But silicon is just the start. According to Stephen Garrison of data centre Ethernet provider Force10, virtualised data centres and the cloud are leading to a dramatic rise in the proportion of power used by the network. “The cloud leads to bursty traffic,” said Garrison, “like rogue waves in the sea”. Garrison claims that Force10’s switches actually beat Juniper’s on energy.

Energy use by individual switches may be only part of the story, however, as other gains come from new architectures. Juniper’s “New Network” flattens data centre networks from three to two tiers, with the ultimate aim of creating a single layer network fabric known as Project Stratus. This introduces features such as greater automation and virtualisation capabilities while providing a foundation from which to manage and deliver cloud services.

Juniper says a “flatter” network structure requires fewer devices and interconnections, which leads to improved efficiencies, power and cooling. In a data centre with 3,000 servers attached by Gigabit Ethernet, for example, a simplified design with Juniper’s EX Series switches consumes more than 40 percent less power than a traditional design based on a three-layer architecture.

“When you’re consolidating multiple applications onto a single physical infrastructure, that alone has a very positive effect on the carbon footprint,” said Rahim.

Green networking

The increasing focus on green networking – among companies such as Juniper, Brocade and Force10 – is not solely down to a heightened sense of social responsibility within the industry, however. Nor is it always a cost issue.

In Europe, the EU’s Code of Conduct on Energy Consumption of Broadband Communication Equipment puts pressure on equipment vendors and network operators to achieve power consumption targets for at least 90 percent of broadband equipment that is brought to market.

Meanwhile, the EU’s Code of Conduct for Data Centres encourages data centre operators to improve energy efficiency and reduce power consumption of IT equipment, including network switches.

“Governments are putting increasing pressure on all levels of the IT industry to focus on energy efficiency and this includes network equipment makers,” said Andrew Donoghue, eco-efficient IT analyst at The 451 Group. “While the Code of Conduct on Energy Consumption of Broadband Equipment and the related Data Centre Code may be voluntary at present, there are good indications that these will pave the way for actual laws which set strict energy use limits on IT equipment.”

“Vendors who choose to ignore this trend could well find themselves penalised both in legal terms and when it comes to being excluded from government and private sector procurement plans,” he added.