Introduction; Ethernet Technology; Fast Ethernet Technology; Gigabit Ethernet Technology - D-Link DES-1018DG Manual

D-Link DES-1018DG Unmanaged Gigabit Ethernet Switch

Introduction

Ethernet Technology

Switch Description
Features
Ports
Front-Panel Components
Ethernet Technology

Fast Ethernet Technology

The growing importance of LANs and the increasing complexity of desktop computing applications are
fueling the need for high performance networks. A number of high-speed LAN technologies are proposed to
provide greater bandwidth and improve client/server response times. Among them, Fast Ethernet, or
100BASE-T, provides a non-disruptive, smooth evolution from 10BASE-T technology.
100Mbps Fast Ethernet is a standard specified by the IEEE 802.3 LAN committee. It is an extension of the
10Mbps Ethernet standard with the ability to transmit and receive data at 100Mbps, while maintaining the
Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) Ethernet protocol.

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 100Mbps Fast Ethernet and a one hundred-fold increase over 10Mbps
Ethernet. Since it is compatible with all 10Mbps and 100Mbps 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
subnetworks.
Gigabit Ethernet enables fast optical fiber connections to support 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.
In addition, the phenomenal bandwidth delivered by Gigabit Ethernet is the most cost-effective method to
take advantage of today and tomorrow's rapidly improving switching and routing internetworking
technologies.

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 making it possible for a local area
network to be divided into different segments which don't compete with each other for network transmission
capacity, giving a decreased load on each.
The switch acts as a high-speed selective bridge between the individual segments. Traffic that needs to go
from one segment to another (from one port to another) is automatically forwarded by the switch, without
interfering with any other segments (ports). This allows the total network capacity to be multiplied, while still
maintaining the same network cabling and adapter cards.
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