(NOTE: Each chapter concludes with a Summary.)
Introduction.
I: THE HISTORY OF ETHERNET.
1. The History of Ethernet.
The Origins of Ethernet: The ALOHA Radio System (1968-1972). Building the First Ethernet at Xerox PARC (1972-1977). DEC, Intel, and Xerox Standardize Ethernet (1979-1983). 3Com Productizes Ethernet (1980-1982). StarLAN: A Great Idea, Except for Its Speed (1984-1987). The History of 10BASE-T and Structured Wiring (1986-1990). Ethernet Switching and Full-Duplex Emerge (1990-1994). Fast Ethernet Emerges (1992-1995). Taking Ethernet into the Next Century: VLANs and Layer 3 Switching (1996-1998). Industry Merger and Acquisition Trends (1993-1998). Gigabit Ethernet (1995-1998).
II: REPEATING, BRIDGING, SWITCHING, AND LAYER 3 SWITCHING.
2. An Overview of High-Speed LAN Technologies.
A Historical and Somewhat-Biased Perspective. Migration Issues. An Ethernet Primer. Revolutionary Versus Evolutionary Technologies. The Most Common High-Speed Technologies Compared. Iso-Ethernet.
3. Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, and Gigabit Ethernet Standards.
Ethernet and the OSI Reference Model. 10Mbps Ethernet MAC and PHY Standards. Half- and Full-Duplex Ethernet. 100BASE-T/Fast Ethernet. Gigabit Ethernet. The IEEE Auto-Negotiation Standard. Ethernet Repeaters.
4. Layer 2 Ethernet Switching.
Ethernet Bridging and Switching. Full-Duplex Ethernet.
5. VLANs and Layer 3 Switching.
Unicast, Multicast, and Broadcast Frames. VLANs. Layer 3 Switching. Layer 4 Switching.
III: DETERMINING YOUR ETHERNET NEEDS.
6. Cabling and More on Physical Layers.
Encoding and Compression Techniques. Cabling Standards. IEEE802.3/Ethernet Cabling Standards. Fiber to the Desktop: Is It a Reality? Running Fast or Gigabit Ethernet on Your Existing UTP Cable Plant. Category 3 or 4 Cabling. Definitions of Some Important Cabling Test Variables. Test Equipment. Some General Tips for Dealing with Cabling Suppliers.
7. Bandwidth: How Much Is Enough?
Are All of Today's Ethernets Overcrowded? Has the Network Infrastructure Become the Weakest Link? How to Tell if Your Network Is Overloaded. The Bandwidth Limits of Ethernet. Tools to Measure Loading. Upgrading Your Network. Why Today's Networks Are Running Out of Bandwidth. Gigabit Ethernet to the Desktop.
8. Network Components.
NICs. Workgroup Components. Standalone Repeaters. Backbone Components.
IV: DEPLOYING, MANAGING, AND TROUBLESHOOTING.
9. Deployment.
General Rules of 10BASE-T and 100BASE-T. Deployment Step 1: Adding 10Mbps Switches. Deployment Step 2: Adding Fast Ethernet NICs. Deployment Step 3: Converting Workgroups to Fast Ethernet. Deployment Step 4: Switched and Fast Ethernet in the Backbone. Deployment Step 5: Routers, Layer 3 Switching, and VLANs in the Backbone. Deployment Step 6: Gigabit Backbone Switches. Connecting Multiple Workgroups.
10. Deployment Examples.
Example 1: Deploying Switched and Fast Ethernet in a New Network. Example 2: Adding Layer 3 Switching Capability to the Backbone. Example 3: Deploying Switched and Fast Ethernet in a LAN with an Existing FDDI Backbone. Example 4: Deploying a Gigabit Ethernet Switched Backbone. Example 5: Deploying a 10-Mbps Switch as a Switch of Hubs. Example 6: Deploying Fast Ethernet in a Branch Office. In the Real World, Every Network Is Different
11. Managing Switched, Fast, and Gigabit Ethernet Networks.
Network Management. Desktop Management. Business Management. Key Issues for Managing Switched Networks.
12. Troubleshooting.
Dedicated Troubleshooting Products. PC-Based Troubleshooting Products. Software-Based Sniffers. Troubleshooting Techniques in a Shared Environment. Troubleshooting Switched Networks . Troubleshooting Fast Ethernet Networks. Troubleshooting Gigabit Ethernet Networks.
Epilogue: Fast-Track Future.
Can Applications Respond to the Challenge? How Far Can Ethernet Evolve? Will Ethernet Fall into the ATM Trap? Evolution in Support of Revolution.
V: APPENDIXES.
Appendix A: Gigabit and Fast Ethernet Vendors.
Appendix B: Further Reading.
Appendix C: Useful Web Links.
Vendor and Organization Web Sites by Chapter. Interesting Publications. Newsgroups.
Index.
