Gigabit Ethernet

Introduction
As a result of research done at Xerox Corporation in the early 1970s, Ethernet has evolved into the most widely implemented networking protocol today. Fast Ethernet increased speed from 10 to 100 megabits per second (Mbit/s). Gigabit Ethernet was the next iteration, increasing the speed to 1000 Mbit/s. The initial standard for Gigabit Ethernet was standardized by the IEEE in June 1998 as IEEE 802.3z. 802.3z is commonly referred to as 1000BASE-X (where -X refers to either -CX, -SX, -LX, or (non-standard) -ZX).

IEEE 802.3ab, ratified in 1999, defines Gigabit Ethernet transmission over unshielded twisted pair (UTP) category 5, 5e, or 6 cabling and became known as 1000BASE-T. With the ratification of 802.3ab, Gigabit ethernet became a desktop technology as organizations could utilize their existing copper cabling infrastructure.

Initially, Gigabit Ethernet was deployed in high-capacity backbone network links (for instance, on a high-capacity campus network). In 2000, Apple's Power Mac G4 and PowerBook G4 were the first mass produced personal computers featuring the 1000BASE-T connection. It has since become a built-in feature in many Macintoshes and PCs.

Fiber Gigabit Ethernet has recently been overtaken by 10 Gigabit Ethernet which was ratified by the IEEE in 2002 and provided data rates 10 times greater than that of Gigabit Ethernet. Work on copper 10 Gigabit Ethernet over twisted pair has just been completed, but as of June 2006, the only currently available adapters for 10 gigabit Ethernet over copper requires special cabling and is limited to 15 m.