IEEE Ratifies Gigabit Ethernet Standard

Gigabit Ethernet reached the final milestone in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards approval process last week when the IEEE Standards Board unanimously approved 802.3z (Gigabit Ethernet), reports the Gigabit Ethernet Alliance. Completing the standard adds native Ethernet backbone technology to the huge installed base of Ethernet network nodes, the Alliance says, adding that while the specifications have been stable for many months, ratification  confirms the interoperability and stability of Gigabit Ethernet technology.

Ratification took place during IEEE Standards Board meetings on June 24 and 25. The ratification results from a review by RevCom, the IEEE Standards Board Standards Review Committee, and the IEEE Standards Board, the two bodies responsible for ensuring that IEEE procedures were followed in developing the standard.

The ratification of the standard and the interoperability of various vendors' products, including lower-speed Ethernet, will strengthen users' confidence in using Gigabit Ethernet products, experts say. The Gigabit Ethernet market will reach $261 million this year, and grow almost six-fold in just two years to reach $1.5 billion by the end of 2000, according to industry estimates.

Next Steps
The multi-vendor Gigabit Ethernet Alliance, representing approximately 120 networking, computer, component and test equipment companies (including XLNT, Cisco Systems, and Bay Networks), says it will continue to support 802.3 development, particularly the 1000BASE-T standard, 802.3ab. The project is targeted for completion in March 1999.

Hewlett-Packard Co. (PALO ALTO, CA) pledged its support of the standard, noting its collaboration with the IEEE on Gigabit Ethernet by developing the fiber optic specification and by chairing the Physical Medium Dependent (PMD) task force and the Modal Bandwidth Investigation (MBI) group. HP believes Ethernet will continue to be an extremely popular LAN protocol, and that Gigabit Ethernet is the next logical step because it offers a natural performance-upgrade path for 100Base-T, offering lower cost and complexity than other backbone interconnect-technology options.