On 7 March 2003, the 10-Gigabit Ethernet Alliance (10GEA) was dissolved and in accordance with the 10GEA bylaws and the California Non-profit Corporation Law, all its remaining assets were distributed to tax exempt, non-profit organisations.
This event marked the end of the alliance`s work and the achievement of its goal: the successful ratification of the 10GE IEEE 802.3ae standard in late 2002.
Since then, in less than two years, 10-Gigabit Ethernet is becoming the de facto standard for corporate-wide high-speed local area network (LAN) backbones.
Today, 10-Gigabit connectivity is being promoted by most major vendors, with 10-Gigabit switch sales establishing record benchmarks. A 20-plus percent growth in this market is expected to be confirmed for 2004.
It`s a fact: Ethernet has become the most widely adopted networking technology in the world and has proven to be a solid solution to most network challenges.
10-Gigabit Ethernet is the natural evolution of the well-established IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standard in terms of speed and distance.
In addition to increasing the line speed for enterprise networks, it extends Ethernet`s proven value set and economics to metropolitan and wide area networks (MANs and WANs) by providing potentially the lowest total cost of ownership in terms of infrastructure as well as operational and human capital.
Where did it start?
Ethernet was named by Robert Metcalfe, one of its developers, for the passive substance called "light-transmitting ether" that was once thought to pervade the universe.
Ethernet was so-named to describe the way that cabling, also a passive medium, could similarly carry data everywhere throughout the network.
Ethernet was originally developed by Xerox in the 1980s from an earlier specification called Alohanet (for the Palo Alto Research Centre Aloha network). Further work was carried out by Xerox in association with DEC and Intel.
The earliest Ethernet LANs typically used coaxial cable or special grades of twisted pair copper wires. Ethernet also came to be used in wireless LANs.
Still the most commonly installed Ethernet systems in use today are 10Mb Ethernet (or 10Base). They provide transmission speeds (usually to workstations, PCs, portable PCs and other desktop devices) of around 10Mbps.
Fast Ethernet
Fast Ethernet or 100Base was next to make an appearance (in the early 1990s) and provided transmission speeds up to 100Mbps. It was (and still is) typically used for LAN backbone systems.
Gigabit Ethernet provides an even higher level of backbone support at 1 000Mbps. It made an appearance towards the end of the last decade.
Ethernet`s popularity is underlined by its ease of migration to higher performance levels and proven multi-vendor and installed-base interoperability, or as it`s commonly known, "plug-and-play".
The future
There is clear evidence that the Holy Grail for Ethernet researchers - 10-Gigabit Ethernet to the desktop - is within reach.
Firstly, analysts have described 10-Gigabit Ethernet as a technology that offers a more efficient and less expensive approach to moving data on backbone connections between networks. Significantly, they also see it as providing a consistent technology "end-to-end".
Secondly, there is a concerted effort by two groups in the IEEE who are working on making 10-Gigabit Ethernet over copper wiring a reality - and establishing a standard for this.
The first of the groups, the 10GBase-CX4 Task Force, is working on its the 10GBase-CX4 specification, or IEEE 802.3ak. In essence this standard governs the sending of 10-Gigabit Ethernet over twin-axial copper cables.
Distances would be limited to 15m or less, meaning that, at this stage, equipment supporting the standard could only be used within a data centre, perhaps to interconnect servers.
The second group, the 10GBaseT Study Group, is working on IEEE 802.3an. This specification would be used to run 10-Gigabit Ethernet over copper wiring as well - twisted pair wiring that is similar to widely installed Category-5 cables.
Applications for 10GBase would include data centre connections as well as aggregation points in wiring cabinets.
Finally, the 10GBase-LRM Task Force is looking at a standard for 10 Gigabit Ethernet over FDDI-grade multimode fibre. The group is looking to create the IEEE 802.3aq standard. The goal is to produce a lower cost fibre option for 10-Gigabit Ethernet transmissions.
This is necessary, according to the Task Force, for the technology to take root in organisations and "enable migration to smaller form factor plugable modules". To-date more than 40 companies have indicated their willingness to participate in the development of this standard.
It all bodes well for Ethernet`s future.
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