FAST ETHERNET TECHNOLOGY

(Based on articles from PC Magazine, Byte and the Internet )

1. SHIFTING INTO HIGH GEAR:
Most computer users remember 1995 as the year of the Internet or
Windows 95, but those in the networking world will probably think of a
third, equally revolutionary trend. For them, 1995 will be the year ofFast
Ethernet.
While standard Ethernet has been the norm for installing local area
networks (LANs) for more than a decade, its 10-megabit-per-second
(Mbps) bandwidth limitations is finally starting to show its age. Ethernet
was certainly capable of handling simple file transfers among 286 and
386 PCs, but todays Pentium, Pentium Pro and Power PC computers are
designed to handle more complicated bandwidth-intensive applications.
With client/server databases and collaborative applications like Lotus
Notes becoming more popular, and with networked multimedia and
videoconferencing on the horizon, even small Ethernet networks will
soon slow to a crawl.
Fast Ethernet, which runs at a healthy 100 Mbps, is certainly up to task.
After years of discussion, the Fast Ethernet standard has now been
finalized, and most of the networking community has embraced the new
technology. And the cost of implementing Fast Ethernet may be a lot less
than you think: In the not-too-distant past, high-speed LAN adapter
cards cost $1500 or more, but we found Fast Ethernet cards with street
prices as low as $135, making them very cost-competitive with regular
Ethernet adapters.
2. FOCUS ON THE WORKGROUP:
The current crop of Fast Ethernet network adapters on the market are
often called 10/100 adapters because they can work on both standard
10-Mbps Ethernet networks and 100-Mbps Fast Ethernet networks.
10/100 operation makes these adapters ideal for companies that are
thinking about Fast Ethernet for the near future but cant afford to
displace their installed base of Ethernet hubs and switches today. You
can buy 10/100 adapters now for your existing networks, then upgrade
the other devices later to reap the full benefits.
ISA-bus adapters are not recommended for high-speed networking
because of the throughput limitations of the ISA bus. EISA server
adapters show unacceptably high CPU utilization. PCI adapters are
recommended whenever possible either for servers or workstations.

Fast Ethernet, also known as IEEE 802.3u or 100Base-T, actually

comprises three separate specifications that describe different physicallayer transmission schemes for Fast Ethernet:

By far the most popular of the three specifications is 100Base-TX,

which runs over two pairs of copper wire known as Category 5
unshielded twisted pair (UTP), or over Type 1 shielded twisted pair
(STP).

The second specification, 100Base-T4, runs over four pairs of

Category 3, 4 or 5 copper wire or Type 1 STP; the first T4 hubs
were released on the first quarter of 1996.

The third specification, 100Base-FX, calls for more expensive

multimode fiber-optic cable; there are a few 100Base-FX products
now available that are designed primarily for backbone
installations.

3. HIGH-SPEED CHOICES:
In the crowded market for high-speed networking products, Fast Ethernet
isnt the only technology youll need to consider. A competing
technology called 100VG-AnyLAN, for example, is also engineered for
100-Mbps operation, and a number of companies are now shipping both
100VG-AnyLAN adapters and repeaters at prices very competitive with
Fast Ethernet products. Unlike Fast Ethernet, which uses the same
collision-based CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision
Detection) architecture as regular Ethernet, 100VG-AnyLAN employs
Demand Priority Architecture (DPA) to transmit network information. DPA
avoids collisions and is in many ways technically superior to Fast
Ethernet. 100VG-AnyLANs biggest drawback is lack of support from
some of the major networking vendors.
Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) has been hyped for years as the
foundation for the next generation of networking services. Its built-in
provisions to handle multiple data types (including audio and video), as
well as specifications to run at 155 Mbps and higher, make it a
technology with a promising future. Right now, however, few products
are shipping, standards have not been finalized, and implementation
costs are still fairly high.
In response to the high costs of ATM, a consortium of vendors called the
Desktop ATM25 Alliance is pushing a new workgroup ATM specification
that runs at 25.6 Mbps. With adapter prices going at about $400, 25-

Mbps ATM may become a viable workgroup solution as the industry waits
for higher-speed ATM solutions to come down in price. Unlike Fast
Ethernet and 100VG-AnyLAN, however, these ATM adapters dont have
any provisions for backward-compatibility with 10-Mbps Ethernet.
If your network is congested, you can often increase your available
bandwidth without ever replacing your existing network adapters. By
simply replacing an Ethernet hub with a device called an Ethernet
switch, you can provide 10 Mbps of dedicated bandwidth to each port of
your switch, and you can keep all of your existing LAN adapters and
cabling. You can also buy switches that offer high-speed ports to handle
your server connections.

4. ADAPTERS CHARACTERISTICS:
Most Adapters are designed to perform both as a client and server
adapter; the only difference between the two functions is the driver you
use for the operating system you have. Most of the adapters come with
Open Device Interface (ODI) and Network Driver Interface Specification
(NDIS) drivers, which assure compatibility with a number of client and
server operating systems. Its a standard to have DOS/Windows and
Netware 3.x/4.x drivers, and most adapters have drivers for Windows NT
and OS/2 as well. Sometimes they include Macintosh drivers for Power
PC-based Macintoshes with PCI slots.
CPU utilization on the server is just as important as peak throughput
rates. If a server adapter card hogs all the CPU cycles performing
network transfers, then it will bring down overall server performance. In
general, PCI-based adapters do a better job than their EISA-based
counterparts at keeping down CPU utilization on the server.
Performance is an often-hyped feature of network adapters, but minor
performance differences among the top cards may not mean very much
in the long run. Instead you should look at other features that can
significantly enhance ease of use. Cards with single connectors that
auto-sense 10-Mbps or 100-Mbps operation make things easier than less
desirable adapters that come with two separate connectors for 10-Mbps
and 100-Mbps operation.
Some cards feature auto-negotiation, which is a recent addition to the
IEEE802.3 standard that detects 10- or 100-Mbps operation, as well as
half- or full-duplex operation (allowing 20- or 200-Mbps bi-directional
transmission between nodes), in hardware. Expect more adapters

featuring autonegotiation in the near future. Better adapters come with

several LED indicators to show network status.
Although prices are already low, further drops are expected as Fast
Ethernet becomes more popular over this year.