Gigabit Ethernet marks the start of project studio networking that is affordable. I was able to record 48 tracks of audio in Pro Tools to the server hard disk mounted on my desktop. This means that you can share hard disks among multiple computers. I use one computer to edit and master stereo and surround audio. When I bounce to disk, I bounce to the mastering disk.
Ethernet takes care of the transfer without interfering with the work at hand.
The mastering computer can be burning CD-Rs at the same time without a hiccup. Things are starting to get good. The most difficult part of surround mixing is the monitoring. If you're using a professional studio with a million-dollar console setup for surround, then you are lucky. There are a lot of small consoles that let you mix surround.