Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Bandwidth
Given the amount of data generated by a typical bioinformatics laboratory, adequate network
bandwidth—commonly expressed as speed or throughput in thousands or millions of bits per second
(bps)—is essential to efficient computation and communications. As shown in Figure 3-7 , the
applications operating on data retrieved from a storage area network disk array are typically
supported by a tiered network system comprising a Gigabit Ethernet. This protocol provides 1 Gbps
communications throughput between the storage area network disk array and the servers. A Fast
Ethernet protocol provides 100 Mbps interprocess communications between the server-based
applications. Finally, a standard Ethernet provides 10 Mbps throughput between workstations, which
make relatively light throughput demands.
Figure 3-7. Network Bandwidth. Gigabit Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, and
Ethernet provide a tiered network system that provides a compromise
between system data throughput, cost, and maintenance.
Although it's tempting to simply put every device on Gigabit Ethernet, there is a cost and
maintenance issue with a Gigabit or other high-speed network compared to Fast or regular Ethernet.
For example, Gigabit Ethernet has a limited range compared to regular Ethernet. In addition,
whereas standard Ethernet works well over twisted pair and coaxial cable, most Gigabit Ethernet
installations are based on fiber cable and expensive fiber-based electronics.
 
 
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