In order to adress the problems in fulfilling the requirements of the high performance systems, the IEEE-1355 standard has been developed. A number of ESPRIT projects were initiated to support the technology within the scope of this standard. However, it is also important to promote the technology, i.e., to prove and demonstrate its applicability and efficiency. Targeting this, the ARCHES project has developed Gigabit Ethernet switch and demonstrator applications. This paper briefly addresses the efficiency issues related to the communication, and descibes the tests performed for evaluating the technology developed during the ARCHES project and the results obtained.