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I think 100BaseTX means "100BaseT extended".

IEEE 802.3 standard defines nomenclature, XBaseY, where:

– X = LAN Speed in Mb/s

– Base = Signaling method (baseband vs. broadband)

– Y= LAN segment length in 100M multiples (bus topology) or T for twisted pair wire, F for fiber (star topology)

I don't have any sources but I do know there is a sort of tradition in the IT industry of using the letter X to stand for "Extended". I mean this in the sense of stretching an already existing technology.

The first IBM PC in the 1980s was followed up by the PC-XT which stood for "extended technology". This was not a complete new generation of hardware. That came with the PC-AT ("advanced Technology") hardware standard which was the basis for what we still use today. Later on came the ATX ("AT eXtended").

Similarly with Ethernet. 100BaseT came first, using 2 twisted wires, then came 100BaseTX which used 2 higher quality twisted wires. Now you have 100BaseT4, with 4 wires and 100BaseFX with optical cable.

http://www.isrl.uiuc.edu/~mwolske/lis451...LANOverview.pdf

12 years ago. Rating: 2
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