Hardware certification is the process through which computer hardware is tested to ensure it is compatible with specific software packages, and operates as intended in critical situations. With ever dropping prices of hardware devices, the market for networking devices and systems is undergoing a kind of change that can be loosely termed as "generalization." Big established enterprises like

Cisco Cisco Systems, Inc. (using the trademark Cisco) is an American multinational digital communications technology conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, s ...

Novell Novell, Inc. () was an American software and services company headquartered in Provo, Utah, that existed from 1980 until 2014. Its most significant product was the multi-platform network operating system known as NetWare. Novell technolog ...

Sun Microsystems Sun Microsystems, Inc., often known as Sun for short, was an American technology company that existed from 1982 to 2010 which developed and sold computers, computer components, software, and information technology services. Sun contributed sig ...

, etc., no longer manufacture all the hardware required in the market, instead they "license" or "certify" small hardware players operating in countries like

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Certification process

Vendor certification

To obtain certification, the hardware or software has to conform to a set of

protocols Protocol may refer to: Sociology and politics * Protocol (politics), a formal agreement between nation states * Protocol (diplomacy), the etiquette of diplomacy and affairs of state * Etiquette, a code of personal behavior Science and technology ...

and quality standards that are put in place by the original creator of

technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

. Usually the certification process is done by a "certification partner." Certification partners are selected by the original creators of the technology and these partners are given the authority to do the testing and certification process. After a product is found to be compatible, it is labelled as xxx certified where xxx is the name of the original creator of the technology. Vendors use a "label" on the products to advertise the fact of compatibility with the said technology. The process of certification ensures that the products made by different manufacturers are standardized and are compatible with each other as indicated in hardware or

software Software consists of computer programs that instruct the Execution (computing), execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications. The history of software is closely tied to the development of digital comput ...

platform.

Third-party certification

Third-party certification is undertaken by an independent body. To obtain third-party certification, the hardware or software has to confirm to a set of quality standards determined by the third-party.

References

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