SINGAPORE--Some of the challenges in the future of networking include more Power over Ethernet, getting the wireless 802.11n standard to cooperate and adding more and more intelligence into network routers coupled with maturing network standards, according to a newly resurgent 3Com.
In an exclusive interview, Matthew Walmsley, product marketing director for 3Com Asia-Pacific, said how one of the most exciting things for his team was getting things to work together now that new standards such as SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) are now in place.
"The difference is that with these standards, a developer no longer has to do phone, application and database. You can go out and buy a system from 3Com, IBM Domino and Oracle Siebel and let it talk together. The future of networking is about convergence, not just about how much money I can save," he said.
Walmsley said that while everyone has figured out what the benefits are, there still is a big difference in how that vision is realized.
"Today you can go and buy the network layer from this guy, security from that guy and salesforce automation from another guy and have them all talk together. But if you go to one vendor, and I'm not going to name anyone, he will try and sell you the entire package," he said, referring to Cisco in all but name.
Walmsley was around since the days when 3Com bought USRobotics. He explained that while everyone remembers USRobotics for its modems and especially the Palm Pilot PDA, it was really the Modem Concentrator (server side modems) that was of interest to 3Com back in those days.
'"History has taught us that it was actually the Palm that was where the most value was. Truly a product before its time," he reminisced.
3Com is developing what it terms a "control plane" that adds network intelligence to the inherently non-intelligent routers, switches and wireless access points that are all around an organization.
For instance, in the area of access control, 3Com's management systems will aggregate data from different routers and switches regardless of vendor, and the network administrator can define policies for notebooks, MP3 players, network attached storage and other devices at one point without having to go to each router and switch in turn.
"I can define policies and it ripples out to 200 access points in KL or Bangkok. It's much easier than having to configure 200 access points in turn," he said.
A more technically interesting solution that 3Com has just rolled out is a Linux blade running in its high end switches.
"Imagine a switch or router with a little bit of extra hardware running Linux. We are inviting our partners to put their stuff on there, essentially a Linux PC on a blade. It's not about replacing servers, it's about putting an app into the network, like WAN optimization, packet analysis, netflow, security, things like this," he said.
In the United States, one use the Linux blade has been put to is for applications to monitor HEPA and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.
While today the Linux blade is only in 3Com's high-end routers, Walmsley said that it is a blank piece of paper and the possibilities are endless as it trickles down the product line. He said that it is quite possible to turn a 3Com router into a small PABX with that blade installed.
Another engineering challenge is Power over Ethernet (PoE), whereby the Ethernet cable itself supplies power to the switch or access point, thus greatly reducing the complexity of wiring. Today, IEEE standards for PoE delivers 15.4 watts, which is enough for routers and cameras, but 3Com and others are aiming for 30 watts.
"'That will open up a whole new world of possibilities. You can run a kiosk, trickle charge your notebook, or even power a television over the network," he said.
The main engineering challenge is heat, as CAT5 cabling was never designed for carrying so much power.
He reflected on his work in India which was held back a lot by government red tape. Until recently, offices in Mumbai all needed two separate telephones on each desk as it was illegal to route VoIP and POTS (plain old telephone system) through the same network. "Ultimately it's hard to put the genie back in the bottle," he noted.
As for the future, Walmsley said the industry is now gearing up for Gigabit Ethernet now that most notebooks and PCs have it, and also for 802.11n.
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