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OmniSwitch 6600 Family Hardware Users Guide September 2006 page 3-1
3 Installing and Managing
Power over Ethernet (PoE)
Power over Ethernet (PoE) is supported on OmniSwitch 6600-P24 switches and provides inline power
directly from the switch’s Ethernet ports. Powered Devices (PDs) such as IP phones, wireless LAN
stations, Ethernet hubs, and other access points can be plugged directly into the Ethernet ports. From these
RJ-45 ports the devices receive both electrical power and data flow.
Because the feature reduces devices’ dependence on conventional power sources, PoE eliminates many
restrictions that traditional electrical considerations have imposed on networks.
In a PoE configuration, power source equipment (PSE) detects the presence of a PD and provides an elec-
trical current that is conducted along the data cable. The PD operates using the power received via the
Ethernet data cable; no connection to an additional power source (e.g., an AC wall socket) is required.
Note on Terminology. There are several general terms used to describe this feature. The terms Power
over Ethernet (PoE), Power over LAN (PoL), Power on LAN (PoL), and Inline Power are synonymous
terms used to describe the powering of attached devices via Ethernet ports. For consistency, this chapter
and the CLI Command Reference Guide refer to the feature as Power over Ethernet (PoE).
Additional terms, such as Powered Device (PD) and Power Source Equipment (PSE) are terms that are not
synonymous with PoE, but are directly related to the feature:
• PD refers to any attached device that uses a PoE data cable as its only source of power. Examples
include access points such as IP telephones, Ethernet hubs, wireless LAN stations, etc.
• PSE refers to power sourcing equipment which provides power to a single link section. PSE main func-
tions include searching the PD, optionally classifying the PD, supplying power to the link section only
if the PD is detected, monitoring the power on the link section, and scaling power back to detect level
when power is no longer requested or required.
Because OmniSwitch 6600-P24 switches fully support 10/100 Ethernet connectivity, you may also attach
non-PD equipment—such as computer workstations, printers, servers, etc.—to the PoE ports. See
Chapter 2, “OmniSwitch 6600 Family Chassis and Hardware Components,” for more information on the
OmniSwitch 6600-P24 chassis.
Important. Alcatel recommends that PoE-enabled switches with attached IP telephones should have oper-
ational power supply redundancy at all times for 911 emergency requirements. In addition, both the
OS6600-P24 and the OS6600-BPS-P should be plugged into an Uninterruptible Power Source (UPS).