Lab Testing Summary Report

Transcription

1 Lab Testing Summary Report November 2008 Report Product Category: Unified Communications Vendor Tested: Products Tested: Avaya Unified Communications Solution for 450 Users Key findings and conclusions: Avaya 9600-series IP deskphones provide full unified communications features with power consumption less than 31 percent of industry average for products tested Avaya G450 Media Gateway enables power savings through consolidation and an embedded SIP server IP PBX platform and endpoints support seamless remote worker communication, boosting productivity and workplace flexibility Avaya exhibits a corporate commitment to environmentally-conscientious manufacturing Avaya Unified Communications Solution, configured for 450 users, was evaluated by Miercom for its environmental impact by observing the individual components as well as the system as a whole. Miercom engineers determined the Avaya solution, based on the Avaya Communication Manager 5.1 platform, offers substantial energy savings by enabling customers with better business communication efficiency and effective telecommuting opportunity. The analysis included verification of the Avaya solution through hands-on testing in a lab environment under moderate load and varying network conditions. Case study site analysis of UC systems deployed in live network environments were also conducted in this audit. The products' power-usages were weighed against their performance to ascertain true energy-to-service ratio. In substantial size IP PBX environments our industry assessment revealed endpoint devices have the biggest impact in terms of power consumption. The Avaya IP deskphones proved to be very powerefficient and contributed to the Certified Green rating. The new G450 Media Gateway impressed us by offering high-quality unified communications, consolidated services, superior interface density and all in a compact energy efficient device. Avaya G450 Media Gateway reflects Avaya's commitment to building new equipment that is environmentally sound. The gateway has twice the capacity of predecessor and consumes less power.

2 Test Bed - Avaya UC Environment Evaluated Home Office WAN Communicator Communicator Avaya 4625 Deskphone (VPN) Extreme Networks Summit X450e-48P Avaya C364T-48P and Avaya C363T-24P Avaya G450 Media Gateway with Avaya S8300 Media Server (backup server) Custom Load Generator Green Measurement Tool Deskphone 9640 Deskphone 9640G Dranetz Encore Power Analyzer Dranetz Console Interface Ixia 1600T Load Generator How We Did It The Avaya Unified Communications solution, configured for a 450-user normal resiliency environment, was evaluated for environmental impact by looking at the individual components depicted above as well as the system as a whole. Lab testing of each component was conducted for power consumption under load as well as measurements and audit results compiled using real-site survey assessments. Measuring Power Consumption: To obtain total voltage, current and power on the entire Avaya solution, we measured power consumption per component with a tool from Dranetz-BMI (Encore Series) while the product was heavily loaded with call volume and other services enabled for unified communications. Power consumption readings on the endpoints, switch, gateway and server were measured while stressing the different features each component offered. Endpoint Analysis: On the 9640 and 9640G IP Phones, we took measurements during registration, call generation, speaker/handset usage, while utilizing both Power over Ethernet (PoE) and a external power adapter, at idle and in power save mode. The solution also included 40 analog phones that received operating power from the gateway. PoE Switch Analysis: On the C363T-PWR, C364T-PWR and Extreme Summit X-450e-48p switches, we obtained measurements in idle state, as well as with multiple PoE endpoints connected. We also used a traffic generator from Ixia (Ixia 1600T) to obtain a full environmental reading spectrum with a mix of traffic on each port at different processor utilization rates. Voice Gateway Analysis: With custom load-generation equipment, we placed different call loads on the G450 gateway/s8300c server to obtain the measurements on idle state as well as with different percentages of CPU utilization on the S8300c server. Environmental Analysis: Miercom's environmental review of the Avaya solution also entailed an examination of the Avaya company-wide and product-specific environmental impact reduction efforts. We conducted onsite visits to three locations and interviews with Avaya personnel focusing on environment-related features of the equipment and applications. Our analysis included comparisons to the industry average for competitive products we have tested. Copyright 2008 Miercom Enterprise Unified Communications Page 2

3 Product Efficiency The Avaya 9640 and 9640G IP Phones tested include efficiency-enhancing innovations in the product design that bring business communications enabling features with reduced energy consumption. The 9600-series endpoints are Avaya's top-of-the line IP deskphones. They come with customizable faceplates and interfaces, highresolution color displays, one-touch softkeys and wideband audio reproduction. The endpoints can be easily expanded by adding up to three 24- button modules. The Avaya 9640/9640G phones offer an innovative power-saver mode that extends the life of the color display for the phone and reduces power when not in use. Even with all the useful features, the 9600-series devices are listed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) as being power-over- Ethernet (PoE) Class 2 devices. Many IP phones offered in the marketplace are of the more powerhungry PoE Class 3. Miercom testing found the Avaya 9640 to have an average power consumption of 4.35 watts while the industry average tested for similar 10/100 phones is 7.61 watts. The Avaya 9640G consumed an average of 4.51 watts, less than the industry average for gigabit-capable phones of about 6.6 watts. Both Avaya units are well below the IEEE Class 2 device maximum power figure of 6.49 watts. Miercom engineers noted that there are other IP phones on the market with some special features and functions not found in Avaya endpoints, such as touchscreens. Consumers should conduct a feature comparison and needs analysis to determine if the PoE Class 3-rated units they are considering include the desired features and, if so, whether those features are worth the additional extra cost and power consumption. Our testing of the phones included monitoring the effect on power use of various features, such as turning on the speaker and placing a call. The test showed only a small variation, about a halfwatt, between full feature use and idle (See chart on Page 4). Minor wattage variations between competing phones might not seem of concern. However, even in a relatively small deployment such as the one tested here, the cumulative effect of multiple endpoints can add up. As shown below, a system with 410 Avaya 9640 phones in normal operation consumes about 1,300 fewer watts than the industry average for comparably sized system. Miercom testing also proved the benefit of the Avaya IP phones' ability to enter a power save mode after a period of non-use. As shown in the chart next page, the phone waited two minutes before entering this energy-saving status. The recovery of the device to the active display mode was instantaneous upon any activity. Type of phone Power Consumption of 410 IP Deskphones Minimum Maximum Watts Watts Average Watts Avaya / Industry Average of 10/100 IP phones Avaya 9640G 10/100/ Industry Average of 10/100/1000 IP phones Avaya 9640 IP Phones are 57% more energy efficient than the average of IP phones tested in Miercom's Unified Communications Industry Study Avaya 9640G IP phones are 58% more energy efficient than the industry average Copyright 2008 Miercom Enterprise Unified Communications Page 3

4 Avaya 9640G IP Phone Power (Watts) :00:00 0:01:00 0:02:00 0:03:00 0:04:00 0:05:00 0:06:00 Time (Seconds) The energy consumption of the Avaya 9640G IP phone fluctuated less than 0.5 watts during the testing of each of the phone s features. The 9640G IP phone's power save mode provides energy savings of 0.2 watts equating to a solution-wide reduction of 82 watts in our testing of 410 IP phones. Time Phone Activity Phone Watts Phone & Switch 0:01:40 Call generated :02:20 Call on speaker :03:30 Call terminated :05:40 In Power Save Mode Once in power save mode, the Avaya 9640G consumed 4.2 watts, a decrease of 0.2 watts. Extrapolated over the 410 phones in this solution, the power save mode reduced the system's energy use by 82 watts. The tested installation relied on an Avaya 8300 server embedded in an Avaya G450 Gateway. Miercom observed that Avaya is placing significant focus on the development of embedded blade servers that can be used to eliminate the use of external servers whenever possible in lower density deployments. Using these embedded servers in small-tomedium business communication systems, as opposed to standalone servers, results in energy savings without negatively impacting the performance of the solution. Even a low-performance standalone server uses about 200 watts, a level of power that is consumed even if the OEM processor isn't being used to its full extent. By employing embedded servers, the additional server is no longer needed and valuable rack space, power and cooling resources in datacenters can be preserved. The Avaya G450 Media Gateway was designed with improved efficiency in mind. The Avaya G450 uses less energy than its predecessor the Avaya G700, but offers twice the capacity as the Avaya G700. The Avaya G450 has 240 digital signal processor (DSP) channels while the Avaya G700 has 64. The Avaya G450 has 64 tone channels, 48 more than the Avaya G700. The Avaya G450 has eight media module slots whereas the Avaya G700 has only four. Another important difference is the effective density of the two gateways. The Avaya G700 has three CPU motherboards in a 2U chassis while the Avaya G450 has only one motherboard in a 3U chassis. It would take two Avaya G700 gateways, occupying 4U of rack space, to provide the same capacity as one Avaya G450. The energy-saving benefit alone supports a decision to replace an Avaya G700 gateway with an Avaya G450. Calculations show the new unit, deployed in a distributed office, can provide the same amount of capacity and additional services while consuming 55 percent less energy. Copyright 2008 Miercom Enterprise Unified Communications Page 4

5 Power Consumption of the Avaya G450 Gateway with Embedded Avaya S8300C Server during various loads. BHCP stands for busy-hour calls completed. Calls are broken down into IP (IP) and analog (A). Although the power supplies for the gateway are rated by Avaya at 500-watts, the gateway never consumed more than 190 watts. Green Innovation The Avaya Communication Manager IP PBX platform application resides on the new G450 gateway which communicates with the central Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Enablement Services (SES) server via SIP. The Avaya G700, alternatively, requires an embedded Avaya S8300C server to host Communication Manager. Eliminating the need for an Avaya S8300C, an Avaya G450 gateway can cut power consumption by more than 35 watts. The new gateway does the work of two Avaya G700s, the energy savings adds up to more than 145 watts. Media Gateway Avaya G450 Avaya G700 Power Use 110 Watts without Media module 110 Watts without Media module DSP Channels Tone channels Media Modules 8 4 Footprints 3U 2U Avaya continuously improves the efficiency of its IP phones. Miercom proved in testing that the power consumption for the Avaya 9640 and Avaya 9640G is more than three watts less than the previous Avaya 4625 IP phone even after adding colored higher resolution displays and Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. First launched in 2002, the Avaya 4620 used 7.7 watts. The very next year, improvements to the 4620 cut power consumption to 5.9 watts. Another revision, a year later, reduced the phone's energy to 4.6 watts. The company's current IP endpoints are 40 percent more efficient than they were six years ago despite having added more features, such as better displays and audio quality. Additionally Avaya conferencing bridges have seen their power consumption reduced by 84 percent due to the use of newer technology. Other innovation demonstrated by Avaya included replacing previous hardware-based solutions such as their conferencing product in favor of an all-software design solution that can be more efficiently deployed. Copyright 2008 Miercom Enterprise Unified Communications Page 5

6 Avaya also leverages the energy efficiency innovations achieved through component providers such as Intel Corporation that provide the processors for the S8300C. Intel continually develops chipsets with improved efficiency of processing power relative to power consumption. Manufacturing Our audit confirmed that Avaya designs products with environmental impact minimization and efficiency in mind. Avaya proved a commitment to continue making its products meet Energy Star requirements for the North American Market and the German Blue eco-label for Europe. Avaya maintains a lengthy list of chemicals and substances it does not allow to be used in the manufacture of its products. The prohibited substances are banned from all Avaya product manufacturing and packaging worldwide. Avaya's Business Processes Avaya is in the process of removing paper and CD/DVD documentation from its products. The company is replacing, with a single sheet of paper, the CD/DVD and paper copies of manuals. The document informs users they can get product guides on Avaya's Web site. Technology becomes outdated quickly, leaving an incredible amount of equipment much of it containing potentially hazardous substances facing improper disposal. The company s "Authentic Avaya" initiative provides consumers the ability to sell back or trade in legacy products such as Definity PBX wares. We were impressed that Avaya not only buys back this older equipment but ensures components are salvaged by selling them as warranty-covered spares or maintenance parts. Any unusable components are disposed of in a responsible manner with priority effort in reclaiming materials through recycling. Avaya accepts old TDM equipment from its competitors and offers in return credit toward the purchase of its new, more efficient Avaya IP PBX solution. The company also conducts audits and other reviews of its suppliers to ensure they are aligned with Avaya's environmental goals. Companies that pass these tests get placed on Avaya's Approved Vendors List. However, providers continue to face annual audits, according to Avaya which we verified with one of Avaya s suppliers. Many of the Avaya products enable and enhance the inherently green practice of telecommuting. Avaya embraces this concept themselves by encouraging employee use of telecommuting. Nearly 13 percent of Avaya's people worked from home in Avaya is developing a PC Refresh Lifecycle Model in which it will replace legacy computers at its facilities with only those that are Energy Star rated. The company is also consolidating its datacenters to save energy and space. Through 2010, Avaya plans to decommission 100 software applications, an effort that will allow it to cut down on the numbers of servers being used. And it will insist that any companies accepting old equipment for disposal must do so in an environmentally compliant fashion. Customer Business Process Enablement Through the use of various Avaya Unified Communications products, Avaya customers can offer employees the ability to work remotely. These products, such as softphones and VoIP soft clients, the Extension to Cellular feature of Communication Manager and audio/web conferencing equipment, reduce carbon emissions, conserve fuel and extend the lifespan of worker vehicles. They also reduce the amount of office services, such as desks, A/C, and other overhead expenses required for office employees. Most companies take advantage of online Avaya product courses to train employees. Ninety two percent of Avaya's VoIP training courses and 86 percent of its modular messaging courses are available online, reducing travel time formerly spent by workers needing training. Affiliations, Compliance and Certifications Beginning in July 2006, Avaya ensured that its products purchased from Avaya resellers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa must comply with the RoHS European Union Directive on Certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS). Copyright 2008 Miercom Enterprise Unified Communications Page 6

7 Miercom Certified Green The energy-saving attributes of the Avaya Unified Communications solution for a 450-user environment was evaluated by Miercom in accordance with the Certified Green Testing Methodology. The products in this single-site deployment scenario achieved sufficient scores in each of the rated criteria to achieve the Miercom Certified Green distinction. Based on our hands-on testing and the verified representations made by Avaya, Miercom confirmed that the Avaya solution is designed to provide enterprise customers an effective and environmentally sound communications solution. Avaya 9640 Deskphone Avaya Inc. 211 Mt. Airy Road Basking Ridge, NJ About Miercom s Product Testing Services Miercom is a leading, independent product test center with hundreds of its product-comparison analyses published over the years in leading network trade periodicals. Our reports regularly appear in Internet Telephony, Network World, Business Communications Review - NoJitter, Communications News, xchange and other publications. The company, founded in 1988, has pioneered the assessment of networking hardware and software. We employ our own proprietary methodologies for testing products from enterprise class VoIP gateways and IP PBX s to carrier grade switching equipment. Miercom s private test services include competitive product analyses as well as individual product evaluations. Miercom features comprehensive certification and test programs including Certified Reliable, Certified Secure and Certified Green. Products may also be evaluated under the NetWORKS As Advertised program, in which networking-related products must pass a comprehensive, independent assessment of their usability Before printing, please consider electronic distribution Report Copyright 2008 Miercom Enterprise Unified Communications Page 7