Rethinking the model There will be a tendency to make shared gigabit spans longer because the higher speed would support more stations. Each gigabit workgroup switch can create a number of shared-media gigabit segments, but none can run more than 600 feet, whereas some media types in 10Mbps Ethernet can run a mile or more. Some companies are using short-run copper to a wiring closet in 10Mbps planning and then linking these with fiber. If you plan to use gigabit Ethernet on the desktop, this may force you to deploy a lot of gigabit switches. You'll also have to consider the special requirements of gigabit Ethernet in selecting an adapter for a desktop system.
Tests show that buffer requirements climb significantly with gigabit desktop networking.
Gigabit to the desktop may affect the balance between Level 2 and Level 3 in your network, too. Most of today's subnetworks were designed with the limits of 10Mbps LANs in mind. The size of the subnetwork may be so small relative to gigabit capacity that the L AN is grossly under-utilized. That means making subnetworks bigger, which may affect not only router and client address assignment and setup, but also the ability of your current InterNIC-sanctioned addresses to handle the network. Big gigabit networks will also push you to faster routing or to Level 3 switching.