Ethernet's ubiquitous nature will make network deployment easier, report says
Ethernet is maturing into a technology that can enable businesses to more easily deploy new network infrastructure.
By Max BurkhalterNovember 22, 2011
Currently, establishing a new network is incredibly complex because different architectures require their own cabling technology. This creates an environment where organizations either need to pay engineers to install several different cabling formats through their buildings or deal with the extended time it would take system administrators to complete that process internally. According to a recent Register report, Ethernet's unique ability to meet many networking needs could overcome this problem.
Cabling deployment can create major problems for businesses. The report explains the scope of this issue through the author's personal experience. He works as a system administrator for a business that recently moved to a new data center facility. During this project, he found himself trapped, to some extent, when the organization needed to equip the facility with a diverse range of cabling solutions. He really could not help with the manual processes, at least not at the scale that the organization needed, as cabling deployment requires specialized skills.
This struggle could soon disappear, however, as Ethernet's widespread popularity and maturation is creating an environment where almost every aspect of the data center and office can operate using the same copper cables. The report explained this could happen in just two more product cycles, as the networking technology matures to the point that it can meet almost any enterprise and data center need.
When this finally does happen, the cabling setup will become almost entirely ubiquitous. Businesses will be able to connect their phones, computers, routers, switches and other systems with copper cabling. With this equipment unified, organizations will only need to hire a single cabling engineer to deal with just one format, simplifying network deployments and making them more cost-efficient.
Ethernet's ability to perform a diverse range of tasks may also make it easier for businesses to adapt their networks to their exact needs. After using copper cabling internally and meeting performance needs, businesses can easily add optical infrastructure to the backhaul network through fiber-to-Ethernet media conversion. This allows them to tap into the almost unlimited bandwidth of optical infrastructure in their underlying architecture while using inexpensive copper throughout the office. All of this can be accomplished using just Ethernet technology with appropriate hardware, meaning businesses may not need to invest in as many specialized cabling systems.
Perle has an extensive range of Managed and Unmanaged Fiber Media Converters to extended copper-based Ethernet equipment over a fiber optic link, multimode to multimode and multimode to single mode fiber up to 160km.
Cabling deployment can create major problems for businesses. The report explains the scope of this issue through the author's personal experience. He works as a system administrator for a business that recently moved to a new data center facility. During this project, he found himself trapped, to some extent, when the organization needed to equip the facility with a diverse range of cabling solutions. He really could not help with the manual processes, at least not at the scale that the organization needed, as cabling deployment requires specialized skills.
This struggle could soon disappear, however, as Ethernet's widespread popularity and maturation is creating an environment where almost every aspect of the data center and office can operate using the same copper cables. The report explained this could happen in just two more product cycles, as the networking technology matures to the point that it can meet almost any enterprise and data center need.
When this finally does happen, the cabling setup will become almost entirely ubiquitous. Businesses will be able to connect their phones, computers, routers, switches and other systems with copper cabling. With this equipment unified, organizations will only need to hire a single cabling engineer to deal with just one format, simplifying network deployments and making them more cost-efficient.
Ethernet's ability to perform a diverse range of tasks may also make it easier for businesses to adapt their networks to their exact needs. After using copper cabling internally and meeting performance needs, businesses can easily add optical infrastructure to the backhaul network through fiber-to-Ethernet media conversion. This allows them to tap into the almost unlimited bandwidth of optical infrastructure in their underlying architecture while using inexpensive copper throughout the office. All of this can be accomplished using just Ethernet technology with appropriate hardware, meaning businesses may not need to invest in as many specialized cabling systems.
Perle has an extensive range of Managed and Unmanaged Fiber Media Converters to extended copper-based Ethernet equipment over a fiber optic link, multimode to multimode and multimode to single mode fiber up to 160km.
