Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Fast Ethernet switches
with gigabit up-link
Gigabit Ethernet
backbone switch
Giga bit
User work
stations at
100 Mbps
To other
gigabit downlinks
Servers
FIGURE 12.6
Gigabit Ethernet at the backbone.
You may also want to consider gigabit to the desktop. The need for speed is
acute in certain enterprise environments. Surprisingly, many applications have very
critical data-throughput needs. For example, it is now possible to do both voice and
video communications from a desktop workstation. Both of these applications
require a large amount of throughput, and both are very time-critical. Adding giga-
bit at all levels of your network can help minimize the quality-of-service issues that
degrade these applications. In addition, anyone working with video or graphics edit-
ing or retrieval will need to consider a gigabit network solution.
Specifying Gigabit Cabling
A cabling specification should address a number of issues. A typical description of
the cable and installation should include the specific category of cable and connect-
ing components, as well as a narrative description of how the installation is to pro-
ceed. In addition, the method of testing the installed links and the express warranty
of the installation should be stated.
For Gigabit Ethernet, in a new installation, you should spec in at least
Category 5e, as it includes additional parameters that are important for 4-pair full-
duplex operation at 1000 Mbps. Require that all components meet the appropriate
category's performance criteria.
Remember that if you specify Category 6 or AC6 components (for both cable
and connecting hardware), you need to consider the backward-compatibility issue.
The easiest way to handle this is to simply use only Cat 6/AC6 components from a
 
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