Ethernet 20th Birthday -- Early History of the Ethernet

[David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

PARC Forum
Thursday, September 16, 1993
PARC Auditorium, 4:00 P.M.


Ethernet 20th Birthday -- Early History of the Ethernet


Bob Metcalfe, Publisher, Infoworld
Dave Boggs, DEC Western Research Laboratory


May 22, 1973 was the birthday of the Ethernet.  On that date, Bob Metcalfe used
the word Ethernet in a memo to describe a project previously known as the Alto
Aloha net.  And Ethernet has been a major part of local area networks ever
since.  At this Forum, the inventors of Ethernet will look back at the
situation and events of 20 years ago.


---What were the initial goals?  How did they change over time?
---What were Ethernet's main competitors in 1973?  Why didn't they succeed?
---Why was the initial data transfer rate fixed at exactly 2.94 Mbit/second?
   How did it eventually get to 10 Mbps?
---How did Intel and DEC get involved?  How did Ethernet become a standard?
   Were there any compromises?
---A glimpse towards the future of Ethernet.


Host:  Giuliana Lavendel/PARC Information Center
-------------------------


This Forum is OPEN to the public.


For more information contact Giuliana Lavendel or Kathy Jarvis at
(415) 812-4042 or KJarvis () PARC xerox com


Refreshments will be served at 3:45 P.M. for Forum Attendees only.


The PARC Auditorium is located at 3333 Coyote Hill Rd. in Palo Alto.  PARC is
in the Stanford Research Park, between Page Mill Road (west of Foothill
Expressway) and Hillview Avenue.  The easiest route is to take
Page Mill Road and turn onto Coyote Hill Road.  As you drive up Coyote Hill
past the horse pastures, PARC is the building on the left after you crest the
hill.  Park in the large lot, and enter the auditorium at the upper level of
the building. (The auditorium entrance is located down the stairs and to the
left of the main doors.)