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Gigabit Ethernet

Authors -- Saumitra Das & Vibhor Sonpar

1. Abstract

Enterprise network computing is in the midst of a paradigm shift driven by corporate globalisation and a new breed of Web-based productivity and business tools. Not only have the number of users increased but also corporations are experiencing exponential growth in the amount of traffic per user on the backbone. This has lead network managers to investigate new backbone switching technologies including Gigabit Ethernet. While networking technologies have become faster and cheaper, important differences in performance, functionality and capacity remain. These very differences among other networking standards open up an avenue for a scalable technology like Gigabit Ethernet to sneak in and capture the market.

2. Introduction

Modern organisations depend upon their local-area networks (LANs) to provide connectivity for a growing number of complex, mission-critical desktop computing applications. As the volume of network traffic increases, however, the bandwidth offered by a typical 10 Mbps Ethernet LAN quickly becomes inadequate to maintain acceptable performance for a growing number of desktop/server computing environments. These traffic jams are fuelling the need for higher-speed networks. Among the high-speed LAN technologies available today, Fast Ethernet, or 100BASE-T, has become the leading choice. Building on the near-universal acceptance of 10BASE-T Ethernet, Fast Ethernet technology provides a smooth, non-disruptive evolution to 100 Mbps performance. The growing use of 100BASE-T connections to servers and desktops, however, is creating a clear need for an even higher-speed network technology at the backbone and server level. Ideally, this technology should also provide a smooth upgrade path, be cost effective and not require retraining. The most appropriate solution, now in development, is Gigabit Ethernet. Gigabit Ethernet will provide 1 Gbps bandwidth for networks with the simplicity of Ethernet at lower cost than other technologies of comparable speed. It will offer a natural upgrade path for current Ethernet installations, leveraging existing end stations, management tools and training. Gigabit Ethernet employs the same Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) protocol, same frame format and same frame size as its predecessors. For the vast majority of network users, this means their existing network investment can be extended to gigabit speeds at reasonable initial cost without the need to re-educate their support staffs and users, and without the need to invest in additional protocol stacks or middle-ware. The result is low cost of ownership for users. Because of these attributes, as well as support for full-duplex operation, Gigabit Ethernet will be an ideal backbone interconnect technology for use between 10/100BASE-T switches, as a connection to high-performance servers and as an upgrade path for future high-end desktop computers requiring more bandwidth than 100BASE-T can offer.

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Last Updated : September 03, 1999 09:45:06 AM -0400

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