Product Survey: High-Speed Networking

Compiled by Ralph Barker

While the Internet, intranets, extranets, and the World Wide Web have certainly added new dimensions to computing, these trends have also placed a considerable strain on network bandwidths. If you have not yet started to implement some form of high-speed networking within the infrastructure of your network as a way of satisfying the bandwidth needs of your users, now is a great time to consider doing so. Although the range of technology choices may be confusing, the competition between products and technologies also drives the prices down. As a result, adding high-speed elements to your network has never been more affordable. In this Sys Admin Product Survey we examine some of the high-speed alternatives that fit best in traditional UNIX networks, 100Mbps and faster Ethernet products, to help you plan and purchase upgrades for your network.

The Network Deli

Unless you have been hiding in the machine room, you are likely aware of the variety of choices for high-speed networks - much like walking into a delicatessen in New York City. While FDDI was previously the backbone of choice (assuming your organization could afford the relatively high cost associated with the technology), several new technologies that provide viable alternatives to FDDI have appeared and gained a degree of maturity within the marketplace. Fast Ethernet, which provides a theoretical bandwidth of 100Mbps and is compatible with existing 10Mbps Ethernet networks, has largely succeeded against the competing (and arguably superior) 100VG-AnyLAN technology from Hewlett Packard. ATM, in both 25Mbps and 155Mbps variations, is still trying to get a toehold in machine rooms and on desktops, but is not having great success.<>