[HSSG] The Path Forward

[John DAmbrosia <jdambrosia@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Members of the HSSG,

Given the events of last week, as an 802.3 Study Group, we now find ourselves in a precarious position.

 

With the failure to get a PAR / 5 criteria approved at last week’s interim meeting, we must now worry about gaining approvals for extension of the study group life.  At this point the SG has been given two extensions.  The third extension in July was intended to cover the SG while the PAR / 5 Criteria went through the cycle of approval at 802EC, NesCom, and the IEEE-SA Standards Board.  As the situation now is, the third extension is needed to extend the lift of the SG, and a fourth extension would be requested at the November meeting to cover the approval process at 802EC, NesCom, and the IEEE-SA Standards Board in the November / December timeframe.  It is unprecedented for a SG to get four extensions, and at the last meeting, a number of individuals were already speaking against a third extension if no forward progress was made by the SG by the end of the July meeting. 

 

I will be pushing for the SG to finalize and approve its recommendations regarding PAR(S) and respective 5 Criteria responses at the July meeting.  Assuming the SG can progress this far, we can then present these recommendations to the 802.3 Working Group for approval at the July Plenary.  This would then allow us to pre-submit the SG recommendations to the 802 EC in July for consideration at the November meeting, which would help strengthen the SG’s requests for extensions at the July and November meetings. 

 

Please keep this in mind between now and the July Plenary.  The ability of this study group to reach consensus regarding a PAR or PARs on the 40G / 100G issue will be dependent upon its members.  All must work together to drive towards a consensus position or the future of this group is clearly in doubt. 

 

 

John D’Ambrosia

Chair, IEEE 802.3 Higher Speed Study Group