The demand for higher-speed network connections is growing at a tremendous rate in order to keep pace with the speed requirements of applications such as SAP R/3, database backups, medical, CAD/CAM, 3D modeling, animation, video, and more. Internet data centers process terabytes of data daily. Processing, sharing, and distributing this data requires faster and faster networks. Intelligent adapters, which take on more of the network processing from the server, are becoming critically important in helping servers cope with the onslaught of traffic running at gigabit/second speeds. To maximize server CPU efficiency for an effective Gigabit Ethernet implementation, adapters should not only perform TCP/IP checksum, interrupt coalescing, and byte swapping, but also enable the reduction of host data copy operations. The HP Gigabit Ethernet LAN solutions perform all of these functions and fully support the IEEE 802.3ab and 802.3z standards for Gigabit operations. These high-performance, standards-based, scalable network links allow customers to move large amounts of data quickly while leveraging their existing investments in Ethernet technology. The HP Gigabit LAN adapters provide 1000 Mbps bandwidth over existing copper wire and fiber-optic cables, meeting the demands of e-commerce and data-intensive businesses that want to preserve their investment in existing Ethernet infrastructures. The 1000Base-T LAN adapter supports both the CAT5 and CAT5e (enhanced) cabling standards. This allows superior investment protection in existing cabling infrastructure.The 1000Base-T adapter automatically detects the speed of the associated device as 10-, 100-, or 1000Base-T so that it may be deployed immediately in any Ethernet environment. All the Gigabit LAN adapters are based on the same Ethernet standards already widely deployed in the marketplace and allow migration from 10 Mbps to 100 Mbps to 1000 Mbps quickly and easily, with fast deployment and minimal training needed. The Gigabit LAN adapters are also supported with HP's Auto Port Aggregation (APA) software. Up to 4 Gigabit Ethernet links can be logically aggregated together to form a single, extremely high-bandwidth channel with one IP address, automatic link failover, and load balancing. In addition, HP Gigabit Ethernet adapters support HP-UX VLANs (Virtual LANs). This solution offers IT managers a powerful tool that simplifies the tasks of building, managing, and securing complex network infrastructures. Physical LANs can be segmented into smaller logical or "virtual" LANS, allowing broadcast traffic to be reduced, thereby improving overall network performance. Now a change to network topology no longer requires those dreaded trips to the wiring closet!