WhitePapers

XAUI, the 10 Gigabit Attachment Unit Interface, is a technical innovation that dramatically improves and simplifies the routing of electrical interconnections. Developed by the IEEE 802.3ae 10 Gigabit Ethernet Task Force, XAUI delivers 10 Gb/s of data throughput using four differential signal pairs in each direction. Its compact nature and robust performance makes it ideal [...]

Please note this paper may be partially outdated (Revision 2, Draft A • April 2002)

10 Gigabit Ethernet Technology Overview
From its origin more than 25 years ago, Ethernet has evolved to meet the increasing demands of packet-switched networks. Due to its proven low implementation cost, its known reliability, and relative simplicity of installation and maintenance, its [...]

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Gigabit ethernet is becomming more and more popular. The accelerating growth of LAN traffic is pushing network administrators to look to higher-speed network technologies to solve the bandwidth crunch. These administrators—who typically have either Ethernet or FDDI backbones today—have several alternatives to choose from. Although each network faces different issues, Gigabit Ethernet meets several key [...]

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Introduction
As 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) is introduced into networks the physical limitations and properties of optical fiber introduce new challenges for a network designer. Due to the increased data rate, fiber effects, such as dispersion (intermodal, chromatic or polarization), become a factor in the achievable distances of 10GbE links. This leaves the network designer with [...]

Introduction
Two different testing philosophies have evolved in our communications networks: a "perfection" approach, under which the Device Under Test (DUT) is subjected to signals produced by test equipment whose performance exceeds the DUT’s required specifications and a "worst-case" approach that subjects the DUT to signals that simulate those likely to be encountered in the field.
Traditionally, [...]

Ethernet Transport and its Service Technology
To understand why Ethernet is a viable transport for the WAN, it’s important to note the various technology that surrounds and supports Ethernet.
 
Figure 1 shows Ethernet’s circle of technology. At the core, Ethernet is supported within fiber, copper, and even wireless media. In addition, bandwidth support for Ethernet can range [...]

By far, the most widely used networking technology in Wide Area Networks (WANs) is SONET/SDH. With the growth of Ethernet now into Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) there is a growing need to interconnect Ethernet LANs and MANs to these prevalent SONET networks. With the advent of 10 Gigabit Ethernet, the commonality of line rates between [...]

Under the International Standards Organization’s Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model, Ethernet is fundamentally a Layer 2 protocol. 10 Gigabit Ethernet uses the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet Media Access Control (MAC) protocol, the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet frame format, and the minimum and maximum IEEE 802.3 frame size.
Just as 1000BASE-X and 1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet) remained true to the [...]

Introduction to the TCP/IP offload Engine
Ethernet has become the most popular networking protocol for local area networks (LANs). It is inexpensive and offers plugandplay implementation. As networking has grown in popularity, Ethernet network link speeds have also been increasing. The growth of Ethernet from 10 Mbit/s to 10 Gbit/s has surpassed the growth of microprocessor [...]

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