2
I
NTRODUCTION
This chapter describes the features of the DES-1024D 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.
