Gigabit networking

Factors driving gigabit networking are identified. The problem of wedding the local area networks (LANs) used to interconnect supercomputers to the long-distance networks used for telecommunications is discussed. Changes in computer and telecommunications networks to accommodate higher speeds, longer distances, and new technology are examined. The American National Standard High-Performance Parallel Interface (HIPPI) is considered. Connecting HIPPI to SONET and to FDDI is addressed. Circuit-switched, ring, and tree architectures for advanced networks are discussed.<>