Building Efficient Networks using Switched 10Mbit/s and Shared 100Mbit/s Ethernet

Abstract

Compaq Corp commissioned The Tolly Group to determine which technology – Switched 10 and Shared 100 – is most appropriate for which network environments. The Tolly Group set out to test exactly how each one performs in a variety of network conditions. The tests involved the construction of several complex network environments of different sizes, simulating both server and peer connections running combinations of batch, interactive, and client/server traffic. The tests included a variety of configurations, and used (a) Compaq Netelligent 5226 10 Mbit/s Ethernet switches, each equipped with a pair of 100 Mbit/s Ethernet uplink ports, and (b) Compaq Netelligent 2624 100 Mbit/s concentrators, each equipped with a pair of 100 Mbit/s Ethernet Smart Uplink ports.

Once the testing was complete, The Tolly Group applied the test results to conditions typically found in real networks of different sizes and traffic profiles, and developed guidelines for proper network design based upon the findings.