San Jose, CA; Intel Developer Forum — (press release excerpt) — Intel Corporation today began sampling the world's first single-chip Gigabit Ethernet controller, an advanced semiconductor device used to help direct the flow of data across networks. The new single-chip controller will help accelerate the deployment of Gigabit Ethernet networks by greatly simplifying the design process for systems… designers.

The Intel 82544EI Gigabit Ethernet Controller also includes support for the PCI-X bus, to provide faster and more efficient networking. PCI-X helps alleviate communication bottlenecks within systems, improving the overall performance of the network. The device supports a broad range of operating systems including Microsoft Windows NT, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows XP, Linux, Novell Netware, SunSoft Solaris and SCO UnixWare. It is designed for compliance with the IEEE-802.3ab and -802.3z specifications and provides support for copper- or fiber-based connections at speeds of 10, 100 or 1000 Mbps.

The 82544EI is approximately the size of a quarter and is more than 50 percent smaller than previous generations of controllers. In addition, the new device uses 50 percent less power, generates less heat and can help improve the reliability of systems.

 
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