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N T R O D U C T I O N
This section describes the features of the Switch, as well
as providing some background information about Gigabit
Ethernet and switching technology.
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 100-Mbps Fast Ethernet and
a hundredfold increase over 10-Mbps Ethernet. Since it is
compatible with all 10-Mbps and 100-Mbps 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 supports 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
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