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The 100VG-AnyLAN promise of greater 100bps performance may be best realized in a multimedia environment or with a greater number of ports per hub, according to tests we conducted while we were evaluating hubs using Fast Ethernet technology.
But first things first: The search for 10Mbps Ethernet switching hubs with support for Hewlett Packard Co.'s and others' 100VG-AnyLAN technology might leave you scratching your head. Even HP doesn't currently have a switch on the market to support the technology. Luckily, we were able to find a switch from PlainTree Systems Inc., which has already brought this technology to market.
What are the strengths of 100VG-AnyLAN? The primary advantages are the reduction of collision-error frames associated with Ethernet and the high-priority delivery mechanism for multimedia application frames, both of which are functions of 100VG-AnyLAN's demand-priority protocol control.
The collision reduction factor is made possible through the technology's centralized "round robin" arbitration procedure, in which the hub, a central node, processes node requests and determines priority. This process places the burden on the hub, a single central node, to determine which node sends what packets when, rather than distributing the load across multiple...