Ethernet is the term coined by Robert Metcalfe of PARC for the system he developed to power the new laser print in his office building. In the early 1970's this was new challenge, as the Xerox printer was connected to a large number of computers with the building. These computers formed a local area network or LAN. The system of cabling that Metcalfe developed to send pages to the printers where christened Ethernet. The term was chosen because it was once believed that ether, an unseen material, connected all things in the universe.

Ethernet is now the most common method of connecting a local network of computers. It differs from the internet as the Ethernet tends to connect machines within a predefined network and often within a set location; it is not open to public access. The network will be built around a system of cables and switches and not the public telephone system which powers the internet. If you work in large company then more than likely your intranet will be part of an Ethernet network. Network terminals, normally computers are connected together in order to share information quickly and securely.

Standard Ethernet is able to provide fast and constant connections. A standard Ethernet cable can handle about 10,000,000 bits per second and can be used with almost any kind of computer. The problem is that with the increase in file size and the ever increasing demand for data there is increasing pressure for a system that provides a fast Ethernet network to match the needs of users.

The result of this is that the standard speed limit of 10 megabits per second has rocketed to 100Mbps for fast Ethernet network's and 1000Mpbs for Gigabit Ethernet networks. This development has resulted in super fast networks that can carry and process massive amount of data. The development from a network for a single printer is one of the wonders of the modern age.