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N T R O D UC T I O N
This chapter describes the features of the DES-1016D and some background
information about Ethernet/Fast Ethernet switching technology.
Fast Ethernet Technology
Ethernet, along with its speedier counterpart Fast Ethernet, is the
most popular networking standard in use today. 100BaseT Fast
Ethernet is an extension of the 10BaseT Ethernet standard,
designed to raise the data transmission capacity of 10BaseT from
10Mbits/sec to 100Mbits/sec. An important strategy incorporated by
100BaseT is its use of the Carrier Sense Multiple Access with
Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) protocol - which is the same
protocol that 10BaseT uses - because of its ability to work with
several different types of cable, including basic twisted-pair wiring.
Both of these features play an important role in network
considerations, and they make 100BaseT an attractive migration
path for those networks based on 10BaseT. Since the 100Mbps Fast
Ethernet is compatible with all other 10Mbps Ethernet
environments, it provides a straightforward upgrade and takes
advantage of the existing investment in hardware, software, and
personnel training.
