And, of course, the cost associated with the equipment for these connections
is eliminated (as discussed in the next section).
Familiarity and In-house Expertise The Ethernet LAN has been around for over three
decades and has become an integral part of the IT infrastructure of any enterprise. As
a result, there is usually considerable expertise within the IT group itself on how to
manage an Ethernet LAN. Employing Ethernet as an access technology to the Service
Provider infrastructure is, therefore, seen as a natural??”and seamless??”extension to
the LAN and something that is comfortably manageable. Simple issues can be managed
within the enterprise itself, often without having to involve a Service Provider and
incurring the attendant cost and delays.
Contrast this with TDM or even a Frame Relay access; this usually imposes a different
set of skills for the IT/networking group, resulting in additional operational
overhead. And the Service Provider (offering the service) generally has to be involved
with even relatively simple troubleshooting exercises, often making manageability a
less than desirable experience.
Figure 1.12 Ethernet enables converged??”and simplified??”access (Source: MEF)
Local Loop
Local Loop
Customer Premise
Customer Premise
10/100/1000M
Ethernet
Telecom Closet
Telecom Closet
DS-1
DS-3
DS-3
ATM IAD
Frame DSU
Frame DSU
Customer
Switch/
Router
10/100/1000M (CAT-5e)
PBX
Ethernet Switch
Storage Switch
Storage Switch
Ethernet Switch
IP-PBX
Telephony
LAN
Storage
Telephony
LAN
Storage
Pre-Ethernet
Access
Ethernet
Access
DS-1
DS-3
DS-3
ADM
ADM
32 Chapter 1
So Ethernet (access44) ultimately contributes to lowering the operational expenditure
for the enterprise.
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