Amer Networks SGD5 - Manual (Page 7)

5
I
NTRODUCTION
This section describes the features of the 5-Port 1000BASE-T Gigabit
Ethernet 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 able to perform 10 times the number of operations
in the same amount of time.
Switching Technology
Another key development pushing the limits of Ethernet technology is
in the field of switching technology. A switch bridges Ethernet