From connecting two Computers in a room to connecting billions of Computers worldwide, Ethernet has come a long way since the first memo on Ethernet was authored by Bob Metcalfe and Dave Boggs on 22nd May 1973 at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center.
Since then the technology has grown by leaps and bounds, standardised by IEEE, converged with optical and wireless platforms to provide an enriching data networking experience to business enterprises as well as the common man.Not only it is being used in Office LANs to connect local computers, printers,etc. but having a vast area of application including remote networking for VPN, Backbone Network equipment monitoring using VLANs by ISPs, serving Internet using Ethernet technologies like Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet, Metro Ethernet, Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol and many more.
Landmarks in Evolution
- 22nd May 1973 - First Memo on the Ethernet was authored.
- 1975 - First Ethernet patent filed with data rate of around 3 Mbps.
- 1980 - First Ethernet standard published called DIX after DEC, Intel and Xerox,the organisations primarily involved in its development.
- 1985 - Ethernet standardized as IEEE 802.3 standard with 10Mbps max. data rate.
- 1989 - Network equipment company, Kalpana introduces the first Ethernet Switch.
- 1994 - IEEE standardized 10BaseF for Ethernet over Fiber.
- 1995 - Fast Ethernet with 100 Mbps max. data rate was standardised as IEEE 802.3
- 2000 - Gigabit Ethernet with 1 Gbps max data rate was standardised as IEEE 802.3z
- 2001 - Metro Ethernet forum was formed to converge Ethernet over existing MPLS or SDH networks to use Ethernet as a WAN technology for Internet access.
- 2010 - 100 G Ethernet was standardised as IEEE 802.3ba with max data rate of 100Gbps.
- 2013 - IEEE 802.3's "400 Gbps Ethernet Study Group" starts research on Terabit Ethernet.Results expected by 2017.
