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Since the Gigabit Ethernet data transfer rate is 10 times faster
than Fast Ethernet, servers equipped with Gigabit Ethernet
NIC's are able to perform 10 times the number of operations in
the same amount of time. This makes Gigabit Ethernet the
perfect solution for video conferencing, complex imaging, and
similar data-intensive applications.
Switching Technology
Another key development pushing the limits of Ethernet
technology is in the field of switching technology. A switch
bridges Ethernet packets at the MAC address level of the
Ethernet protocol, transmitting among connected Ethernet or
Fast Ethernet LAN segments.
Switching is a cost-effective way of increasing the total network
capacity available to users on a local area network. A switch
increases capacity and decreases network loading by dividing
network into different segments and each segment has its own
bandwidth (10, 100, or 1000Mbps).
The switch acts as a high-speed selective bridge between the
individual segments. Traffic that needs to go from one segment
to another is automatically forwarded by the switch (without
interfering with any other segments). This allows the total
network capacity to be multiplied, while maintaining the same
network cabling and adapter cards.
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