Cisco Network Design Solutions for Small-Medium Businesses

Chapter 2. SMB Networking Environments and Solutions Design Considerations

The past two decades saw the commoditization of computer networking in the small-medium business (SMB) arena. In 1980, DEC, Intel, and Xerox (DIX) published a document known as the “Ethernet specification,” the “Ethernet version 1,” or the “Blue Book.” In 1982, that document was updated to Ethernet Version 2. Espec-2 remains a valid and relevant standard even now, but it is much easier to set up a computer network today than it was back then.

Think for a moment about the networking hardware used in the early 1980s: 10 Mbps shared media, network interface cards (NICs) with external transceivers, vampire taps, thick coaxial cable, and repeaters to extend the network topology. ...