D-Link Green

Overview

General awareness of environmental issues worldwide has created demand for improvements in energy efficiency for networking equipment. D-Link is taking the lead in developing innovative power-saving technology that doesn't sacrifice operational performance or functionality.

By being the first company to offer Green Ethernet features on their switches, D-Link introduces environmental responsibility in the area of networking by providing:

• An innovative, eco-friendly concept
• Power savings, resulting in reduced operating costs
• Less heat dissipation

• An extended product life

What benefits will users see from going Green?

Reduced heat and power consumption, cost savings and a longer life expectancy for networking kit. Users may not be so aware of the power consumption of individual pieces of equipment, but they'll be able to feel the heat of them. With Gigabit products in particular, users will notice a big difference in the amount of heat emitted by the switches. This should in turn prolong the lifespan of the products, since parts will not be exposed to such long periods of heat. D-Link have talked to many customers and everyone from the largest enterprise to the home user wants to save energy and networking devices are often the target. They're seen as very power hungry because mostly they are powered up all the time. In the US, a 2002 Department of Energy Study estimated the total power consumption of enterprise IT equipment in US offices to be 97 terawatt hours per year, which translates to around $8bn in energy costs. Even a small reduction in that figure would be a sizeable saving.

For more information How it Works

D-Link's Green Ethernet operates at two levels:

• Link status: if there is no activity on a port - eg because the device it connects to is off-, Green Ethernet will put it in standby mode, reducing power used for that port.
• Cable length: most desktop switches by default assume the maximum Ethernet cable length of 100m. However, research shows that the average home uses only 5-10m of network cable. Green Ethernet is able to detect the Ethernet cable length and adjust power usage accordingly, hence saving the unnecessary power which otherwise would dissipate as heat.

Field measurements show that up to 46%* of the total power used can be saved.* testing performed on a DGS-1008D, in a scenario assuming that PCs are used for 10 hours a day and powered off 14 hours a day, and connected to the switch using 20m cables

Products

D-Link's first phase of Green Ethernet products will consist of Gigabit desktop switches. These switches will come in brand new packaging and new housings to clearly identify them as the Green Ethernet versions. Then from next year, the technology will be progressively implemented in Smart switches, Managed switches and the xStack range. Ultimately, all D-Link Products will become energy-efficient.

For more information visit www.dlinkgreen.com