In computer networking, Gigabit Ethernet is a term used to describe various Ethernet frame transmission techniques at Gigabit bit rate per second, as defined by the IEEE 802.3-2008 standard. It came into use beginning in 1999, gradually supplanting Fast Ethernet in wired local networks, as a result of being considerably faster. The cables and equipment are very similar to previous standards and have been very common and economical since 2010.
Features of gigabit Ethernet
- Gigabit Ethernet provides a seamless migration path that fully protects your investment in your existing network infrastructure. Gigabit Ethernet will retain IEEE 802.3 and Ethernet frame formats and 802.3 managed object specifications, enabling organizations to retain existing cable, operating system, protocol, desktop applications while upgrading to gigabit performance Program and network management strategies and tools.
- Relative to the original Fast Ethernet, FDDI, ATM and other backbone solutions, Gigabit Ethernet provides an optimal path. At least for the moment, it is a reliable and cost-effective way to improve connectivity between switches and switches and between switches and servers. Network designers can build high-speed infrastructures that efficiently use high-speed, mission-critical applications and file backup. Network managers will provide users with faster access to the Internet, intranets, metropolitan and wide area networks.
- The IEEE 802.3 working group has set up 802.3z and 802.3ab Gigabit Ethernet working groups whose mission is to develop Gigabit Ethernet standards that meet different needs. The standard supports full duplex and half duplex 1000Mbps, the corresponding operation using IEEE 802.3 Ethernet frame format and CSMA / CD media access control methods. Gigabit Ethernet is also backwards compatible with 10BaseT and 100BaseT. In addition, the IEEE standard will support multimode fiber up to 550 meters, single mode fiber up to 70 kilometers and copper cable up to 100 meters. Gigabit Ethernet fills the gap with 802.3 Ethernet / Fast Ethernet standards.
Technical advantages
- Compatibility
The main advantage of Gigabit Ethernet lies in its compatibility with existing Ethernet. Just like 100Mbit Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet uses the same frame format and frame size as 10Mbit Ethernet, and the same CSMA / CD protocol. In the campus network backbone, and gradually occupy the main position.
- Large bandwidth
Gigabit Ethernet compared to other technologies have the advantages of large bandwidth, and still have room for development, the relevant standards organizations are developing 10G Ethernet network technology specifications and standards. At the same time, priority control mechanisms and protocol standards based on the Ethernet frame layer and the IP layer, as well as various QoS support technologies, have gradually matured, providing a basis for implementing applications requiring better service quality. With advances in optical fiber manufacturing and transmission technologies, Gigabit Ethernet can transmit distances up to 100 kilometers, making it a technology choice to build metropolitan area networks and even wide area networks.
The other types of Ethernet
- Standard Ethernet
Standard Ethernet, initially Ethernet with only 10 Mbps of throughput, uses an access control method for CSMA / CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection), which typically incorporates this earliest 10 Mbps Ethernet Call it standard Ethernet. Ethernet has two main transmission media, that is twisted pair, coaxial cable.
- Fast Ethernet
Compared with the original FDDI working at 100Mbps bandwidth, Fast Ethernet has many advantages. The most important thing is that Fast Ethernet technology can effectively protect customers' investment in wiring infrastructure implementation. It supports Class 3, 4, and 5 double Stranded and fiber optic connections, can effectively use the existing facilities. In fact, the lack of Fast Ethernet is also the lack of Ethernet technology, that is, Fast Ethernet is still based on CSMA / CD technology, when the network load is heavy, will result in lower efficiency, of course, this can use exchange technology to make up. 100Mbps Fast Ethernet standard is divided into: 100BASE-TX, 100BASE-FX, 100BASE-T4 three subcategories.
- 10 Gigabit Ethernet
The 10 Gigabit Ethernet specification, which is included in the IEEE 802.3ae supplement to the IEEE 802.3 standard, extends the IEEE 802.3 protocol and MAC specifications to support 10 Gb / s transfer rates. In addition, 10 Gigabit Ethernet can be tuned to lower transmission rates such as 9.584640 Gb / s (OC-192) through the WAN interface sublayer (WIS), allowing 10 Gigabit Ethernet devices are compatible with the Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) STS-192c transport format.