[Tfug] PoE nits

[Bexley Hall]

Hi,

Time to squeeze the last few bits out of this design...

PoE lets the PD signal the PSE as to its intended power
requirements.  Presumably, some PSE's can have enough smarts
to actually dynamically manage this *total* load as devices
are attached and removed.

This invites a few primary questions:
- How common are "smart" PSE's?
- What sort of interface (to a "host") do they have?
  (presumably they just sit on *a* network and you talk
  to them SNMP?)
- Since the PD negotiates power requirements at connection,
  how can the PD *renegotiate* new power requirements without
  disconnecting?  (i.e., do you have to negotiate maximum power
  required even if you don't need/want it "now"?)
- If I develop an in-band protocol to support renegotiating power
  requirements, are the PSE's smart enough for me to *tell* them what
  the current needs of each node are?  Or, at least the total
  power requirements that it can expect to supply?
- Any pointers to PSE's that I should study?

Thanks!
--don