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Using Ethernet Media in Your Internetwork

Gigabit Ethernet

In the corporate market, Gigabit Ethernet is the new hot thing. What is so
great about Gigabit is that it can use the same network that your 10 and
100Mbps Ethernet now use. You certainly do have to worry about distance
constraints, but what a difference it can make in just a server farm alone!

Just think how nice it would be to have all your servers connected to

Ethernet switches with Gigabit Ethernet and all your users using 100BaseT
switched connections. Of course, all your switches would connect with Giga-
bit links as well. Add the hot xDSL to connect to the Internet and you have
more bandwidth than you ever could have imagined just a few years ago.
Will it be enough bandwidth a few years from now? Probably not. If you
have the bandwidth, users will find a way to use it.

Use Gigabit Ethernet in the Switch, Core, and Server Blocks

Gigabit Ethernet can work in the switch block, the core block, and your
server blocks:

Switch block You can use Gigabit Ethernet between the access layer
switches and the distribution layer switches. Gigabit is not typically con-
nected to end users, but that can change quickly.

T A B L E 2 . 1

Comparison of FastEthernet Technologies

Technology

Wiring Category

Distance

100BaseTX

Category 5 UTP wiring, cate-
gory 6 and 7 is now available.
Category 6 is sometimes
referred to as cat 5 plus. Two-
pair wiring.

100 meters

100BaseT4

Four-pair wiring, using UTP
category 3, 4, or 5.

100 meters

100BaseFX

Multi-Mode Fiber (MMF) with
62.5-micron fiber-optic core
with a 125-micron outer clad-
ding (62.5/125).

400 meters

www.sybex.com