3Com XLPCI manual Fast IP is designed to bypass the router, particularly where

		Frequently Asked Questions	3-13
Table 3-1Frequently Asked Questions (continued)
Question	Answer
What are the PC and	■	Client requirements:
network requirements		PC running Windows 95 or Windows NT (versions 4 or
to run Fast IP?
		3.51), 3Com 3C900B NIC, and the TCP/IP stack
	■	Network requirements:
		Switched path between stations and single
		broadcast domain
What are the	Fast IP is designed to bypass the router, particularly where
network configuration	the router is a bottleneck, as well as to leverage the
requirements for	switched infrastructure. For Fast IP to create shortcuts
Fast IP?	around routers, there must be a switched path between
	source and destination.

What is the performance gain when using Fast IP?

Fast IP bypasses the router to provide increased performance in switched networks even if only a small number of network nodes use Fast IP. The performance gain obtained when deploying Fast IP is directly related to traffic load on the backbone router. The more traffic pumped to the router, the greater the latency and response time and the higher the performance gain. Internal tests show performance increases on the order of 600% when routers are loaded at 70 to 75%.