Gigabit Ethernet and structured cabling

In today's commercial environment, many organisations depend upon their local-area networks (LAN) and information technology infrastructure for growth, competitiveness and also for sharing of resources, information and applications. More and more users are being networked to provide connectivity to an increasing number of complex and mission-critical corporate applications. More than 80% of the installed network connections were Ethernet by the end of 1996, making it the most popular networking technology in use today. Fast and Gigabit Ethernet have become the leading choices for high-speed LANs. As the use of Fast Ethernet connections to the desktop increases, an even higher speed networking technology at the backbone and server level will be required. Hence, early implementation of Gigabit Ethernet technology will be in high-speed backbones, server connections and specialised workgroups. The total shipments of Gigabit Ethernet products for 1999 exceed 1.5 million ports. This paper describes the Gigabit Ethernet technology, its design and cabling requirements.