D-Link DES-3624 manual Introduction, Fast Ethernet Technology, Gigabit Ethernet Technology

Stackable NWay Ethernet Switch User’s Guide

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INTRODUCTION

This section describes the features of the Switch, as well as giving some background information about Ethernet/Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, and switching technology.

Fast Ethernet Technology

The growing importance of LANs and the increasing complexity of desktop computing applications are fueling the need for high performance networks. A number of high-speed LAN technologies are proposed to provide greater bandwidth and improve client/server response times. Among them, Fast Ethernet, or 100BASE-T, provides a non-disruptive, smooth evolution from the current 10BASE-T technology. The dominating market position virtually guarantees cost effective and high performance Fast Ethernet solutions in the years to come.

100Mbps Fast Ethernet is a standard specified by the IEEE 802.3 LAN committee. It is an extension of the 10Mbps Ethernet standard with the ability to transmit and receive data at 100Mbps, while maintaining the Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) Ethernet protocol.

Gigabit Ethernet Technology

Gigabit Ethernet is an extension of IEEE 802.3 Ethernet utilizing the same packet structure, format, and support for CSMA/CD protocol, full duplex, flow control, and management objects, but with a tenfold increase in theoretical throughput over 100Mbps Fast Ethernet and a one hundred-fold increase over 10Mbps Ethernet. Since it is compatible with all 10Mbps and 100Mbps Ethernet environments, Gigabit Ethernet provides a straightforward upgrade without wasting a company’s existing investment in hardware, software, and trained personnel.

The increased speed and extra bandwidth offered by Gigabit Ethernet is essential to coping with the network bottlenecks that frequently develop as computers and their busses get faster and more users use applications that generate more traffic. Upgrading key components, such as your backbone and servers to Gigabit Ethernet can greatly improve network response times as well as significantly speed up the traffic between your subnets.

Gigabit Ethernet enables fast optical fiber connections to support video conferencing, complex imaging, and similar data-intensive applications. Likewise, since data transfers occur 10 times faster than Fast Ethernet, servers outfitted with Gigabit Ethernet NIC’s are able to perform 10 times the number of operations in the same amount of time.

In addition, the phenomenal bandwidth delivered by Gigabit Ethernet is the most cost-effective method to take advantage of today and tomorrow’s rapidly improving switching and routing internetworking technologies. And with expected advances in the coming years in silicon technology and digital signal processing that will enable Gigabit Ethernet to eventually operate over unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cabling, outfitting your network with a powerful 1000Mbps-capable backbone/server connection creates a flexible foundation for the next generation of network technology products.

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