Technological advances such as high speed Ethernet and ATM have provided a means for business organizations to employ high performance networking. However, few studies have been conducted to verify the architecture's typical performance in a business environment. This study analyzed the network performance of high speed Ethernet and ATM when they were configured as LAN backbones. The results revealed that ATM exhibited performance superior to high speed Ethernet, but when adjustments were made for differences in line speed, the throughput was similar. In addition to analyzing empirical data about each technologies' performance, the advantages and limitations of using ATM in a business network are discussed.
