ON THE EDGE

In truth, this little scenario actually does have something to do with computer networking. Given the choice, would you rather jet from California to Wisconsin, or would you rather drive? Take it from me, you'd rather fly. This fact was brought home to me in painful detail as I drove a moving truck the 2,200 miles from Madison to San Francisco. In networking terms, Fast Ethernet, FDDI and OC-3 ATM at 155 Mbps just became the equivalent of driving a moving van halfway across the nation. Ethernet and Token -Ring have been reduced to the equivalent of walking or riding Muni. A whole new batch of technology gets the supersonic pilot's seat. OC-12 ATM, Gigabit Ethernet and even upgraded breeds of Hewlett-Packard's VG-AnyLAN technology are moving from the drawing board to prototype hardware and even to real products that you can buy.

I will touch on each of the these technologies, but first I'd like to discuss the case for their use.

Let's Go for a Walk Many of us are still walking. We have Ethernet or Token-Ring backbones and can't quite see the reason for more. These technologies are still sufficient for many people who use e-mail, file, print and Internet services and even good ol' fashioned client/server. A nice, flat Ethernet network does just fine in many cases and applying additional technology may do little more than cost extra money. Many organizations just don't need fast networks. It's a matter of scope. If you substantially change the amount of data that you want to move across your network, you'll need a faster network. But there's no rule that says your network absolutely must run the latest and greatest technology.

Jump in That Car! You're an American! The introduction of faster te chnologies makes sense for some environments. And just as technology and a little free-market competition has opened air travel--even to those of us who are flying on our own dime--so too, has it opened the valve on the network technology spigot. The modes of travel available permit us as individuals and corporations to change the way we do business drastically. I used to fly to the San Francisco Bay Area from Wisconsin about five or six times a year. And, if I have anything to say about it, I will drive it only once in my lifetime. Now, finally, it appears as though network technology is offering the same choices. The trick for us as networking exper ts is to choose the right medium. You don't want to take the Concorde to the corner quickie-mart. (You get the idea: Use the right technology for the right application.) I'll jump down off the soapbox now.