4
Network applications
(or the evolution of Ethernet)
Most likely, the network you use now and in the future will be some form of Ethernet. It’s the most common network type, and it’s the de facto standard in networking.
The original Ethernet networks (10BASE5 and 10BASE2) ran over coaxial cable. An upgrade, 10BASE-T, the first vendor-independent implementation of Ethernet, operated over unshielded twisted-pair cable at a then speedy 10 Mbps. As technology progressed, so did
Ethernet—it went to 100BASE-TX, which runs at 100 Mbps and specifies a minimum of CAT5 cable, although CAT5e is more common.
TECH TIP
A short history of Ethernet — Since 1985, when 10-Mbps
Ethernet was first standardized, demand for bandwidth and speed has grown steadily alongside increasingly high-performance applications—thus the standardization of 100-Mbps Fast Ethernet in 1995; Gigabit Ethernet in 1998, and in the ratification of
10-Gigabit Ethernet in June 2002. Each step forward represents a tenfold increase in performance.
10-Gigabit Ethernet is a logical extension of previous Ethernet networks, which are the predominant technology for high-performance
LANs.
Gigabit Ethernet (1 Gbps) was developed to handle backbone and server traffic, and is now also deployed to the desktop. When
Gigabit Ethernet first appeared, fiber was crucial to running it effectively. Later the IEEE 802.3ab standard approved Gigabit
Ethernet over Category 5 cable, although CAT5e or higher is the norm. Today, it is one of the most commonly installed networks.
10-Gigabit Ethernet (10-GbE) brings the familiarity and costeffectiveness of Ethernet to high-performance networks with a speed ten times that of Gigabit Ethernet and a frequency of
500 MHz. It supports high-bandwidth applications, such as imaging and storage. 10-Gigabit Ethernet enables the construction of MANs and WANs that connect geographically dispersed LANs. Today, the most common application for 10-Gigabit Ethernet is as a backbone connecting high-speed LANs, server farms, and campuses.
10-GbE over fiber was ratified in 2002. An IEEE amendment in
2006, 802.3an, approved 10-GbE over twisted pair. The TIA/EIA-568-
B.2.10 draft specifies transmission performance for Augmented
Category 6 cable. The TSB-155 addresses existing Category 6 cabling for 10-GbE. It’s emerging as the standard to wire for now. For more information on 10-GbE, see page 11.
Think fast.
When planning a network, think fast. Network technologies considered cutting edge only a few years ago are now becoming viable options for network upgrades. The shift is to Gigabit
Ethernet, 10-GbE, SANs (storage area networks), and even 40+Gbps connections for enterprise and data center backbones.
Ethernet Standards
Network Standard IEEE Cable Speed Distance
Ethernet
Fast Ethernet
Gigabit Ethernet
10BASE5, 2
10BASE-T
802.3
10BASE-F, -FB, FL, FP 802.3
Coaxial
802.3i
CAT3
Fiber
100BASE-TX, T4
100BASE-FX
802.3u
802.3u
CAT5
MM Fiber
10 Mbps
10 Mbps
10 Mbps
500 m/185 m
100 m
2000 m/500 m
100 Mbps 100 m
100 Mbps 400 m half-duplex,
2 km full-duplex
802.3ab CAT5e/CAT6 1000 Mbps 100 m 1000BASE-T
1000BASE-LX
1000BASE-SX
802.3z
802.3z
MM, SM Fiber 1000 Mbps
MM Fiber 1000 Mbps
550 m/5000 m
550 m
10-Gigabit Ethernet 10GBASE-SR, -LR, LX
-ER, -SW, -LW, -EW
10GBASE-CX4
10GBASE-T
802.3ae MM, SM Fiber 10 Gbps 65 m to 40 km
802.3ak 100-Ω Twinax 4 x 2.5 Gbps 15 m
802.3an UTP 10 Gbps 100 m
Other networks.
Other networks exist, but they’re uncommon. Before the establishment of openarchitecture, standards-based networks like Ethernet, proprietary networks, such as IBM ® Token Ring, were the norm.
Black Box Guide to Structured Cabling
