Gigabit Ethernet - An Overview
Ethernet technology is the one that transformed our world and our lives. As of today, Ethernet is the most dominant networking protocol. Of all existing networking and communication protocols, Ethernet has the highest number of installed active ports, by far. It all started with 10 Mbps, and by the mid of the '90s, we had 100Base Fast Ethernet available.
100 Mbps Ethernet was a fantastic achievement, and it’s still being used in various networking arrangements. However, the ever-growing demand for higher throughputs resulted in the development of Gigabit Ethernet or 1000Base Ethernet.
What is the Gigabit Ethernet?
The Gigabit Ethernet is designed to provide a maximum data rate of 1000 megabits per second or one gigabit per second. In contrast to Fast Ethernet or 100BASE Ethernet, the Gigabit Ethernet can operate at 10 times faster speeds.
Today, 1000BASE Ethernet is considered as Ethernet standard for access-level switches, access points, and workstations. Gigabit Ethernet utilizes the frame format of 803.2 and also supports full-duplex and half-duplex modes. With this technology, you can achieve a maximum link distance of up to 70 km (over fiber).