10Gb Ethernet being standardized.

[Jammrock]

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=1736

The Good: 10 Gb speeds across copper without paying the Cisco tax (sorry, Helivitia, but Cisco products aren't cheap)! 10GbaseT will also be partially backwards compatible with CAT6 cabling.

The Bad: To get true 10Gb speeds you will potentially need to rewire your infrastructure (or buy all new cables). CAT 5e cabling will not work at all with 10GbaseT, and CAT 6 will only work up to a maximum distance of 37m-55m, depending on the quality of the CAT 7, which will supposedly be the only way to reach 100m of cabling in a single cable, is a modified CAT 6 cable. They put two more twisted pairs into the cable, and then use the space on the bottom (where the snag is).cabling.

The Ugly: There are already talks about a 100 Gb Ethernet standard to be approved in 2011-2012.

Jammrock

[Tjalfe]

I wonder if using fiber optics for the LAN is not starting to make more sense, if you have to rewire anyways.

[KeiFront]

Yep and it seems you need new plugs GG45 instead of RJ45. Fiber could be cheaper in the long run.

[VJ]

Problem is that fibre switches are still very expensive (last time I checked).


Jörg

[Jammrock]

Problem is that fibre switches are still very expensive (last time I checked).


Jörg

Fiber NICs are outrageously priced as well. There are other problems with fiber optics (working for the network engineering department for a major telco has advantages) too.

The clock accuracy for optics is so important that the major fiber networks of the world utilize atomic clocks to make sure the timing is perfect. You also run into problems with fiber over very long runs, as the time it takes to go from point A to point B changes, and no one really knows why. There are theories based on the light bouncing around inside, but if the cable doesn't ever move, then how does the change still occur? Over shorter runs it's not a problem though.

I see 10Gb being purely backbone for the short term anyway. Gb is barely now catching on for the floor, and I doubt anyone will be upgrading anything but the server rooms to 10Gb any time soon.

Jammrock

[ZokesPro]

In fiber optics, isn't the speed of the information transfered reduced to something like 199 000km/sec? instead of the 300 000km/sec due to light refraction? Or something like that?

I could always ask the fiber optics engineers here at work, but i have no idea where they are.

[Jammrock]

Something like that. The light bounces around inside the fiber, as fier is essentially glass surrounded by a dark coating, thus making it a mirror of sorts. There are equations that can fairly accurately calculate how long it will take for a pulse to reach point B, but for some reason the time it takes for the pulse to make it to point B changes over time. It's very strange, and was unexplanable last time I checked.

[Wombat]

I wonder if using fiber optics for the LAN is not starting to make more sense, if you have to rewire anyways.

No, it doesn't make sense. Fibre's always expensive. Someone else mentioned switches - also expensive. SFPs also cost as much as a copper NIC. I'll stick with copper.

[Tjalfe]

No, it doesn't make sense. Fibre's always expensive. Someone else mentioned switches - also expensive. SFPs also cost as much as a copper NIC. I'll stick with copper.

fibre is only really used in backbones right now. Small market means high price. If the market expanded, there is no reason why fiber would not become competitive in the future. Chances are it will be many years before 10Gb ethernet hits the average user, at which point things more than likely would have changed. Cat7 does not appear to be a terribly cheap cable either

[Helevitia]

No offense taken Jamm

[TransformX]

Since they're already using olptic-fibres for audio, I hardly see reason why not use it for other appliances as well.

[Tjalfe]

I suppose one major reason to stay with copper, even if it is not the more future proofed product is backwards compatibility. So I guess they will probably stick with copper. Personally if I had to rewire a major LAN for higher speed, I would pull fiber, at least out to each office, then copper from there, If I had to.
So what would the average desktop need 10Gb ethernet for anyways

[Jammrock]

Since they're already using olptic-fibres for audio, I hardly see reason why not use it for other appliances as well.

There is a BIG difference between the stuff you use for audio and the stuff you use for fiber networking.

Since the transmission lines for a network are designed to run several km per run (last I checked a single fiber run could reach ~200 km before regeneration was needed), they use a very fine, high grade, synthetic glass. For goo network grade fiber optic cabling you are looking at $100-$300 USD per meter, not meter pair (which is what you want for true full duplexing.

The audio grade stuff is typically clear plastic, since the runs are so short. Even then a 2 m cable will run $30-$60.

Jammrock

[Tjalfe]

Something like that. The light bounces around inside the fiber, as fier is essentially glass surrounded by a dark coating, thus making it a mirror of sorts. There are equations that can fairly accurately calculate how long it will take for a pulse to reach point B, but for some reason the time it takes for the pulse to make it to point B changes over time. It's very strange, and was unexplanable last time I checked.

Remembering 6 years back to Fiber optics class..

a fiber is actually two types of glass with different refraction indicies. An inner core and an outer cladding. The diameter is such that the light will undergo total internal reflection. Any plastics or other coatings past the glass is just for protection.
There are also single and multimode fiber. The common type found in home stereo is multimode, where there is more than one path for the light through the fiber. As in some of the light bounces through at different angles than the rest.. this will result in a pulse which is not so clearly defined in the other end as the light arrives at slightly differnet times. This is called multipath fading and will limit the maximum distance and transfer speed of a cable.
In single mode cables, the light can only travel one path, and will allow for much greater distances+speeds. Any long distance fiber optic cables are of this type, and should be what is used in high speed networks, though I think they may use multimode. single mode cable is much thinner and more difficult to work with.

[Wombat]

Since they're already using olptic-fibres for audio, I hardly see reason why not use it for other appliances as well.

A PERFECT example. Other than what Jamm has already said:

- home digital audio grade copper is still MUCH cheaper than the "optical" stuff.