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10/100 Switching technology
10/100 Switching is an integral extension of Fast Ethernet. It
provides not only the 100Mbps high-speed "pipe-line" for
carrying aggregated 10Mbps traffic, but also the necessary
bridging between the 10Base-T and 100Base-T MAC formats.
Combining Fast Ethernet and Switching technologies, they
provide bandwidth to satisfy the demand of local workgroups.
They also provide a high-speed link to carry local network traffic
to elsewhere in a network.
Benefits of Switching
From the technical point of view, Ethernet switching technology
dramatically boosts the total bandwidth of a LAN network. It also
puts configuration flexibility and bandwidth adaptability into the
local workgroups where the majority of work load is generated
from a business operation. Switching further eliminates the
congestion problem inherent to the contention oriented Ethernet
CSMA/CD protocol, thereby improving predictable response
times under heavy network load. In the past, this congestion
under heavy load was alleviated by the much more expensive
routing technology.
From the workgroup applications point of view, the new wave of
Object oriented distributed Client/Server applications demands
higher bandwidth and tighter integration of client workstations
with servers. The legacy shared-access 10Mbps Ethernet
technology can no longer provide both bandwidth and predictable
response times to this new generation of workgroup environment.
From economics point of view, Fast Ethernet switching not only
satisfies both technical and business requirements, but also
preserves the existing users' investment in the huge 10Base-T
Ethernet installed base. This compatibility insures a path for users
to add, change, and migrate to Fast Ethernet as needs arise over
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