Port Management
Configuring Green Ethernet
Cisco Small Business 200 1.1 Series Smart Switch Administration Guide  95
8
 
Configuring Green Ethernet
This section describes the Green Ethernet feature that is designed to save power 
on the switch. 
It contains the following sections:
• Green Ethernet Overview
• Setting Global Green Ethernet Properties
• Setting Green Ethernet Properties for Ports
Green Ethernet Overview
Green Ethernet is a common name for a set of features that is designed to be 
environmentally friendly, and to reduce the power consumption of a device. Green 
Ethernet is different from EEE in that green ethernet energy-detect is enabled on 
all devices where only the Gigabyte ports are enable with EEE.
The Green Ethernet feature can reduce overall power usage in the following ways:
• Energy-Detect Mode—On an inactive link, the port moves into inactive 
mode, saving power while keeping the Administrative status of the port Up. 
Recovery from this mode to full operational mode is fast, transparent, and no 
frames are lost. This mode is supported on both GE and FE ports. 
• Short-Reach Mode—This feature provides for power savings on a short 
length of cable. After cable length is analyzed, the power usage is adjusted 
for various cable lengths. If the cable is shorter than 50 meters, the switch 
uses less power to send frames over the cable, thus saving energy. This 
mode is only supported on RJ45 GE ports; it does not apply to Combo 
ports.
This mode is globally disabled by default. It cannot be enabled if EEE mode 
is enabled (see below).
In addition to the above Green Ethernet features, the 802.3az Energy Efficient 
Ethernet (EEE) is found on devices supporting GE ports. EEE reduces power 
consumption when there is no traffic on the port. See the 802.3az Energy 
Efficient Ethernet Feature section for more information (available on GE models 
only).
EEE is enabled globally by default. On a given port, if EEE is enabled, short reach 
mode will be disabled. If Short Reach Mode is enabled, EEE will be grayed out 
regardless of the Short Reach Mode global status.