Are ATM, Gigabit Ethernet Ready for Prime Time?

subjects of intense speculation by industry observers and potential users of the technologies , appear as if they may be ready to begin competing for their place in the networking sun. The demand for both technologies is being caused by the increasing adoption of Internet and intranet technology and the growing number of bandwidth-hungry applications. These factors make it necessary to move an increasing amount of data at faster rates over networks. Enterprises are thus beginning to adopt ATM and Gigabit Ethernet. In some cases, the two technologies are replacing FDDI backbones because they can be less expensive and provide higher speeds. In addition, ATM has quality-of-service features, while Gigabit Ethernet can provide seamless connectivity throughout LANs that already use Ethernet technology. Both technologies provide LAN services , such as scalable campus backbones , load sharing, and connections to WAN services. ATM has been available longer and is being deployed where high-bandwidth performance is required. Gigabit Ethernet is being adopted faster than ATM because about 80 percent of LANs already use Ethernet technology , and users want to stay with and build on their current technology. Users also deploy Gigabit Ethernet when they want simplicity and low cost or when they don't have the quality-of-service requirements that make it worthwhile to buy ATM technology, which is more expensive. While some industry observers say ATM and Gigabit Ethernet may fight over market dominance, many analysts contend there's a place for both. In the long run, it will not be a question of people using only ATM or only Gigabit Ethernet, said Tim Dunn, Intel's product line manager for network adapters. " It's more a question of where do they fit, " he said. " For the LAN and desktop space, you'll see Ethernet—Fast and Gigabit—and in the WAN, you'll see ATM. At the edge, you'll see integration of the two. " TECHNOLOGICAL ISSUES ATM and Gigabit Ethernet involve a variety of complex issues that will, in part, determine whether and how users adopt either or both technologies. ATM A group of telephone companies invented ATM, which they originally called Broadband ISDN, in 1986 to carry voice data. In 1991, computer and telecommunications companies formed the ATM Forum, which released the first ATM specification in 1992. In 1996, the ATM Forum approved the Anchorage Accord, which led to the convergence and interoperability of about 60 ATM specifications. Most ATM specifications are now …