10Gb connection over fiber

[gshaw]

Just a quick thought for future planning... does a 10Gb connection require different quality fiber cable to a standard 50\125 1Gb connection?

 

Seems Cat5e cable can run Gigabit to desktop fine if it's high quality (ours is Krone so should be fine) but then I always think that the backbone should be quicker than what's being served to desk i.e. Gigabit link for 100Mb to desktop so logically 10Gb backbone for 1Gb to desk?

 

(Ours at the moment is 50\125 Multimode fiber)

[DAckroyd]

you need a high quality of fiber - might be best to get someone into quote (networking specialists) and they should be able to test your current fiber

[andyrite]

If you are using OM3 fibre you should get 300 metres on 10Gb.

 

It should be marked on the fibre which OM it is (1,2 or 3)

[Geoff]

10GBASE-LX4 will support 10Gbit over existing legacy multimode fiber to a distance of 240 - 300m (dependent on cable type).

 

10GBASE-SR will support 10Gbit over existing legacy multimode fiber to a distance of 26-82m. Over OM3 50 μm 2000Mhz fiber (which is recommended for new builds) this increases to 300m.

 

[ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10_Gigabit_Ethernet]10 Gigabit Ethernet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

[DAckroyd]

Any idea how far off 100GbE is as I'd quite like to be ready for that when I get my new school built in a few years time?

[gshaw]

Ah think our stuff is OM2 so might not be able to handle it

 

Seems like we're in the middle of a general technology shift at the mo with desktops vs VDI, Gigabit \ 10 Gigabit, virtualisation and so on, seems to need a few more years to settle before the standards become obvious

Edited March 24, 2009 by gshaw

[Michael]

I always think that the backbone should be quicker than what's being served to desk i.e. Gigabit link for 100Mb to desktop

 

I agree with what you're saying, however, you really need to ask whether or not you're currently pushing anywhere near the limits of 1Gbps on your servers, even if you had 1Gbps to the desktop. You could debate that because network traffic would be moving so fast, your overall levels of traffic would drop as they'd be no bottlenecks.

[Theblacksheep]

and can your core(s) handle multiple 10g links?

[gshaw]

and can your core(s) handle multiple 10g links?

 

Yup 5400zl can handle it and has some beastly switching capacity

 

I think this stuff really kicks in with VDI as that's the route I'm thinking about in future but it's not quite ready yet, probably another generation of desktops away by my guess

 

It's all a bit pie in the sky thinking at the moment as we've only just got a decent backbone in for 100Mb to desk and 1Gb between core and edge switches (fixing problems from before, which is a pain as had it been done right we would've been looking to the next step up) but always good think of the possibilities for the future

[Geoff]

Any idea how far off 100GbE is as I'd quite like to be ready for that when I get my new school built in a few years time?

 

Wikipedia to the rescue.

 

[ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_gigabit_Ethernet[/ame]

[Michael]

I wonder what those experts use to test 40Gbps? To my knowledge no single device can push out this amount of data. Other than a major internet link (such as the UK and US) I can't think where else you'd need that sort of speed at the current time

[featured_spectre]

Killer gaming network cards can push quite a bit. They reduce Ping quite substancially. For example a ping of 65 was reduced to a ping of 23, a ping of 209 was reduced to a ping of 92, so it reduces the ping by roughly 1/2 - 2/3. Also they can push around 10GB (at the max during benchmark tests) I believe, although that was unstable. Stable they can push about 4GB-5GB give or take.

[Tallwood_6]

100Gb ethernet, blimey what kind of hardware would you need to saturate that kind of connection, i think in the short term the 10gbase-t stuff looks interesting a couple of companys already offer switch's SMC Networks - SMC8724-10BT TigerSwitchâ„¢ 10G PRODUCTS MANAGED SWITCHES STANDALONE 10G EN_USA and it you have buildings cabled with cat6a or cat7 your laughing.

[Theblacksheep]

Yup 5400zl can handle it and has some beastly switching capacity

 

12 4X10GB might kill a 5412

[Chillibear]

Any idea how far off 100GbE is as I'd quite like to be ready for that when I get my new school built in a few years time?

Remember the most likely 40 and 100GB solutions will use parallel fibre technologies, so 40GB is essentially 4 x 10GB lines i.e. 8 cores of fibre, 100GB will use 20 cores, so that 24 core soon gets used up. There are some quite funky new connectors for these parallel fibre technologies, but you can retrofit to existing breakouts as long as the fibre run distances are similar in length (<15% difference). Anyhow just to note that if you really want to plan for those fibre technologies ensure you lay enough cable or make sure the cable conduit is accessible, I'll see if I can did out the roadmaps I had from a recent tech presentation for an idea of ETA.

 

Edit: I my jottings I noted that the 3rd Gen of 10GigE (UTP) chips are due in 2010 - that gen of chips will start to appear on motherboards, didn't seem to jot down the roadmap for fibre.

 

Regarding cable runs 10G should run to 300m on OM3, 40G and 100G should run to 100m on OM3 cabling and probably ~150m on OM4.

Edited March 24, 2009 by Chillibear

[SYNACK]

Remember the most likely 40 and 100GB solutions will use parallel fibre technologies,

 

Depends on your budget, using multiple light frequencies and/or TDM you can push more than one 10GB signal down a single fibre.

[matt40k]

I've only ever heard of one company using 100GB, that was between two major DC, the card for one of the router was in well into the 6 figure mark. Which is silly as you could get 20x 10GB for less money.

 

I know Cambs LEA is spec'ing 10GB backbone currently with 1gb to desktop. Generally your server should have at least 2x connections at your backbone speed (boned)

[SYNACK]

2x connections at your backbone speed (boned)

 

Hehehe - 'boned', Don't you mean trunked :D

[DAckroyd]

I agree with what you're saying, however, you really need to ask whether or not you're currently pushing anywhere near the limits of 1Gbps on your servers, even if you had 1Gbps to the desktop. You could debate that because network traffic would be moving so fast, your overall levels of traffic would drop as they'd be no bottlenecks.

 

I would in part agree with what you are saying but it's the between switch bottle necks that I think we're looking at which when you get to the core switch the traffic can be going to more than just a server... also if you want to start looking at vitualising the/to the desktop then you'll be putting lots more load on the link, also if you're just deploying apps or OS's then you're going to be pushing bandwidth requirements if you want to do it at the same time as others are using the resource. In my opion you want the fastest connections possible as you want to keep end users happy about something and that is getting harder as the days go on.

[DAckroyd]

Regarding cable runs 10G should run to 300m on OM3, 40G and 100G should run to 100m on OM3 cabling and probably ~150m on OM4.

 

basically we want the highest standard of fiber avalible at the time, is OM4 the highest of the moment or is there an OM5/6/7/...?

 

I should be ok if I ask for the OM<4 fiber and 48core to each cab?

[ssiruuk2]

Hehehe - 'boned', Don't you mean trunked :D

 

hehe dont you mean teamed

[matt40k]

Actually I meant Bonded... sigh, I need a personal grammer\spell checker... any offers?

 

bonded > linux\unix

teamed > intel

trunked > cisco

 

Pretty sure Cisco will come knocking at my door asking for money for using there copyright word.

 

(And you'll be boned if you try all three )

[DAckroyd]

I've looked at my fiber cables and cant see any OM numbers on the cables

[SYNACK]

I've looked at my fiber cables and cant see any OM numbers on the cables

 

Should be printed every 5 meters to every meter on the patch leads and the external sheith of the main cable run. It is usually printed suite small though it should also be marked with the wavelength ie 50/125 or 62.5/125 or 100/140.

 

http://www.thefoa.org/tech/ColCodes.htm

Edited March 25, 2009 by SYNACK

[Chillibear]

basically we want the highest standard of fiber avalible at the time, is OM4 the highest of the moment or is there an OM5/6/7/...?

 

I should be ok if I ask for the OM<4 fiber and 48core to each cab?

 

The OM4 standard is yet to be ratified, however is being based around Systimax Lazrspeed 550. Their Lazrspeed 330 cabling is OM3. I don't know about other manufacturers and if they offer products that 'will' comply with the 'standard'.

 

Quantity wise it's a matter of weighing up the costs against usage of the fibre. If you put in 48 cores and end up not using 40 of them for five years - was the cost worth it? Equally if the install costs are massive (say between buildings and digging up playgrounds) then it may well be worth laying the dark fibre now. Always worth getting quotes for your options!