Title :
Gigabit local area networks: a systems perspective
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng. & Comput. Sci., Harvard Univ., MA, USA
fDate :
4/1/1992 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
A broad overview of gigabit local area networks (LANs) is presented from a systems perspective. Motivations and technical goals of gigabit LANs and challenges of coping with highly bursty traffic and large bandwidth mismatches between network links are described. The focus is on concerns unique to gigabit LANs, especially issues that differentiate them from gigabit wide area networks (WANs), metropolitan area networks (MANs), and lower-speed LANs. Major systems issues are discussed, and possible solutions, such as the virtual-connection architecture, are presented. The hardware technology required by gigabit LANs is illustrated by SONET components.<>
Keywords :
digital communication systems; local area networks; optical links; MAN; SONET; WAN; bandwidth mismatches; bursty traffic; gigabit LAN; gigabit local area networks; gigabit wide area networks; metropolitan area networks; network links; virtual-connection architecture; Bandwidth; Computer architecture; Computer networks; Distributed computing; Ethernet networks; High-speed networks; Information technology; Local area networks; Operating systems; Software standards;
Journal_Title :
Communications Magazine, IEEE
