Fast Ethernet
Within the mid-1990s, Fast Ethernet achieved its design goal of raising the performance of traditional Ethernet although permitting the requirement to completely re-cable existing networks. The Fast Ethernet comes in two main varieties:
- 100Base-T (using unshielded twisted pair cable)
- 100Base-FX (using fiber optic cable)
Through far the most popular of these is 100Base-T, a standard which involves 100Base-TX (Category 5 UTP), 100Base-T4 (100Base-T2 cabling modified to include two additional wire pairs) and 100Base-T2 (Category 3 or better UTP).