D-Link DES-1024D Manual - Page 4

INTRODUCTION This chapter describes the features of the DES-1024D and some background information about Ethernet/Fast Ethernet switching technology. Fast Ethernet Technology Ethernet, along with its speedier counterpart Fast Ethernet, is the most popular networking standard in use today. 100BaseT Fast Ethernet is an extension of the 10BaseT Ethernet standard, designed to raise the data transmission capacity of 10BaseT from 10Mbits/sec to 100Mbits/sec. An important strategy incorporated by 100BaseT is its use of the Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) protocol - which is the same protocol that 10BaseT uses - because of its ability to work with several different types of cable, including basic twisted-pair wiring. Both of these features play an important role in network considerations, and they make 100BaseT an attractive migration path for those networks based on 10BaseT. Since the 100Mbps Fast Ethernet is compatible with all other 10Mbps Ethernet environments, it provides a straightforward upgrade and takes advantage of the existing investment in hardware, software, and personnel training. 2