The Gigabit Ethernet Alliance, founded in May , 1996, is an open forum whose
purpose is to promote industry cooperation in the development of Gigabit Ethernet.
The primary objectives of the Alliance are to:
- Fully support the Gigabit Ethernet standards activities being conducted
in the IEEE 802.3 task forces.
- Contribute technical resources to facilitate convergence and consensus
on technical specifications.
- Provide resources to establish and demonstrate product interoperability.
- Foster two-way communications between suppliers and consumers
of Gigabit Ethernet products.
Background
The growing importance of LANs today and the increasing complexity of
desktop computing applications are fueling the need for high-speed networks.
The bandwidth provided by a 10 Mb/s Ethernet connection may not be
an adequate match for today's typical desktop computing applications.
A number of high-speed LAN technologies have been proposed to provide
greater bandwidth and improved client/server response times. Foremost
among them is Fast Ethernet, or 100BaseT, a technology designed to
provide a non-disruptive, smooth evolution from 10BaseT Ethernet
to high-speed 100Mbps performance. Given the trend toward 100BaseT
connections to the desktop, there is a clear need for even higher-speed connections at the server and backbone level.
Gigabit Ethernet will be ideal for deployment as a backbone
interconnect between 10/100BaseT switches, and as a connection
to high-performance servers. Gigabit Ethernet is a natural upgrade
path for future high-end desktop computers that will require more
bandwidth than can be provided by 100BaseT.
For more detailed information on membership policies, please see our Policy Statement and Rules of Conduct and Antitrust Guidelines
The Alliance was founded by the following companies:
- 3Com Corp
- Bay Networks
- Cisco Systems
- Compaq Computer
- Granite Systems Inc.
- Intel Corporation
- LSI Logic
- Packet Engines
- Sun Microsystems
- UB Networks
- VLSI Technology
Milestones
- Nov. 1995 - IEEE 802.3 commissioned High-Speed Study Group
- May 1996 - Gigabit Ethernet Alliance formed with 11 founding members
- July 1996 - IEEE 802.3z Gigabit Ethernet Task Force created
- November 1996 - Core proposals adopted by IEEE
- Jan. 1997 - Draft 802.3z/D1.0 distributed to IEEE 802.3 Working Group
for review
- March 1997 - Project Authorization Request (PAR) approved for
100-meter Category 5 unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cabling; 802.3ab Task
Force created
- May 1997 - First Gigabit Ethernet technology demo., NetWorld+Interop,
Las Vegas
- July 1997 - 802.3 Working Group Ballot issued
- July 1997 - Gigabit Ethernet Test Consortium formed at Univ. of New
Hampshire Interoperability Lab
- Oct. 1997 - First Gigabit Ethernet multi-vendor interoperability
demo., NetWorld+Interop, Atlanta
- Nov. 1997 - Sponsor Ballot 802.3z/D4.0 authorized
- Dec. 1997 - Sponsor Ballot issued
- Dec. 1997 - Gigabit Ethernet Plugfest showcasing the first
multi-vendor tests using test suites developed by the Consortium
- May 1998 - Largest collection of Gigabit Ethernet products,
NetWorld+Interop, Las Vegas
- May 1998 - Gigabit Ethernet Task Force resolves all technical issues
for 802.3z draft standard
- June 1998 - 802.3z ratification expected
Contacting the Alliance
Contact us by E-mail
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