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| Tech Update Networking Upgrades |
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Gigabit Ethernet gets practical
Servers, PCs, and older networks
By Rupert Goodwins
ZDNet (UK)
December 12, 2002
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Do I need Gigabit Ethernet for my desktop systems?
Almost certainly not, despite the hype from suppliers. Some applications--such as medical imaging, scientific database analysis, and engineering work on large models--will benefit, but average desktop use will see no difference. There have been attempts to sell Gigabit Ethernet on the back of voice over IP or streamed video requirements, but as such applications take up a vanishingly small amount of bandwidth even on 100Mbps Ethernet the move to gigabit speeds isn't required. However, Dell has announced that all its more powerful computers will come with Gigabit Ethernet as standard, so the movement over to the higher speed will probably be accomplished as much by stealth as anything else.
In server farms, Gigabit Ethernet is proving popular as a low-cost, high-speed storage unit interconnect, and in its fibre forms it is being promoted as a good backbone protocol for metropolitan area networks and the like.
Will a Gigabit Ethernet PC work on an older network?
Yes, all Gigabit Ethernet systems detect 10 or 100Mbps Ethernet networks and adjust their speed automatically
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Will my existing PC be able to use Gigabit Ethernet?
Yes, but the standard 32-bit PCI bus in most desktop PCs doesn't have enough bandwidth to handle Gigabit Ethernet in full duplex mode; 32 and 64-bit PCI network interface cards will work, but you'll need the 64-bit bus to make the most of it. In general, a 32-bit PCI bus will run out of steam at around 500Mbps transmit, 800Mbps receive. As for software, there are almost no issues. Provided that your new Gigabit Ethernet adapter comes with Windows drivers, which it will, then all your existing software will work perfectly well over it.
What are these "jumbo frames" I keep hearing about with Gigabit Ethernet?
Standard Ethernet frames--packets--can be up to 1,518 bytes long. Jumbo frames can be up to 9,216 bytes long. Frames that long on slower Ethernet systems could block fair access to the network by hogging the wire for too long; that's not so much of a problem with Gigabit Ethernet. However, the shorter standard frames can be delivered up to 80,000 times a second with Gigabit Ethernet, and as each frame generates an interrupt this can load a server far more than the same information delivered in larger but fewer frames. If your drivers can handle jumbo frames, you may see a significant server performance improvement on a heavily loaded network
And LOM?
LOM--LAN on Motherboard--is a term that some manufacturers are using to specify network interface card (NIC) components integrated with the rest of the main circuit. The term's introduction concurrent with Gigabit Ethernet is purely a coincidence. Not to be confused with LOTR, Lord of the Rings, a popular film which by another coincidence used Gigabit Ethernet to link the computer animation workstations with the server farms.
Is your company preparing for Gigabit Ethernet? TalkBack below or e-mail us.
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