Measured Ethernet performance for multiple large file transfers

This study analyzes traffic on a 10-Mb/s Ethernet local area network that connects PCs, minicomputers (running UNIX), engineering workstations, and other equipment in an electronics manufacturing environment. The network is artificially loaded by having up to 32 PCs exchanging large files with seventeen minicomputers. Traffic levels of over 50% of network bandwidth are generated. Several parameters including network utilization, collision rate, deferment rate, and channel acquisition time are measured. The results indicate that Ethernet is capable of handling large amounts of traffic with minimal delays