Foundry Networks (News - Alert) announced today the successful verification of IEEE Std. 802.1AB-2005, 802.1Q-2003, and ANSI TIA 1057 Link Layer Discovery protocol (LLDP) and Link Layer Discovery Protocol-Media Endpoint Discovery (LLDP-MED) standards compliance at the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory.

 

LLDP and LLDP-MED are both important LAN standards that help to accelerate open convergence, which in turn allows companies to build advanced multi-vendor networks without being confined to a single vendor. Configuring IP endpoints can be complex task, but LLDP and LLDP-MED address these challenges by giving organizations a standard and open method to configure, discover and manage end-point devices and network nodes.

 

“These newest developments to the LLDP protocol promote 'plug-and-play' networking through advanced features like auto-discovery and local database creation, which companies in Power over Ethernet and VoIP are looking at for optimizing their operation in the network and for things like E911, where unmediated device logging is key,” said UNH-IOL (News - Alert) Bridge Functions Consortium manager Kari Younsi. “Obviously, interoperability and compliance to standards have everything to do with success where multi-vendor networking is the rule and not just an option.”

LLDP enhances and simplifies device inventory, network management and troubleshooting. For video and voice, LLDP-MED boasts several advantages, including functionalities, ease-of-use and business benefits for converged networks. Its sophisticated features make converged network services easier to install, manage and upgrade, granting operators reduced costs and the ability to build error-free multi-vendor solutions.