Protocol Architecture

Protocol Architecture
Gigabit Ethernet became an IEEE 802.3 standard in the summer of 1998. The standard was
called 802.3z. Gigabit is a combination of Ethernet 802.3 and Fiber Channel and uses Ethernet
framing the same way 10BaseT and FastEthernet do. This means that not only is it fast,
but it can run on the same network as older Ethernet technology, which provides a nice migration
plan. The goal of the IEEE 802.3z was to maintain compatibility with the 10Mbps and
100Mbps existing Ethernet network. They needed to provide a seamless operation to forward
frames between segments running at different speeds. The committee kept the minimum and
maximum frame lengths the same. However, they needed to change the CSMA/CD for halfduplex
operation from its 512-bit times to help the distance that Gigabit Ethernet could run.
Will Gigabit ever run to the desktop? Maybe. Probably. People said that FastEthernet would
never run to the desktop when it came out, but it’s now common. If Gigabit is run to the desktop,
however, it’s hard to imagine what we’ll need to run the backbone with. 10000BaseT to the
rescue! Yes, 10 Gigabit Ethernet is out!