Network Infrastructure Blog

In this Infographic, we look at key points in the timeline of 10Gb/s copper cabling and the 10GBASE-T application standard.  From early cabling options to current and future developments, it shows 10GBASE-T and twisted-pair copper cabling’s projected rise to 10Gb/s Ethernet dominance.

To learn more about 10Gb/s copper cabling, check out the whitepaper “State of the Network: 10GBASE-T Equipment Availability and the Future of Copper Media“.

Cabling Installation and Maintenance Magazine has just published an  interesting article on 10GBASE-T and twisted pair copper cabling in their March issue.  Written by Ron Cates of PLX (a leading 10Gb/s PHY developer) and Siemon’s Val Maguire, it gives a solid overview of recent developments in 10GBASE-T equipment technology and the effect it will have on the future of twisted pair cabling.

CI&M Article: LINK

Key Point Overview:

• 10GBASE-T is NOT the end of the line for twisted pair copper
• 10GBASE-T networking equipment is available and adoption is increasing –projected to be dominant 10Gb/s Ethernet application by 2014
• 10GBASE-T equipment is no longer “power hungry”
  • Early generations of 10GBASE-T equipment consumed up to 10W per port.
  • Current PHY technology uses less than 4W per port.
  • Pending technology will bring it to below 2.5W by 2013
  • 10GBASE-T also supports additional power-saving technologies not possible with other 10Gb/s Ethernet applications:
    • Wake-on-LAN (WOL) – allows equipment to enter low-power “sleep” mode, consuming negligible power, until needed
    • Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) – reduces power consumption by 50% to 90% by using a Low Power Idle (LPI) mode
    • Short-Reach Mode – Allows equipment to auto-detect shorter channels and scale power back accordingly. For example, a typical 100m 10GBASE-T channel may consume 3.5W per port while a 10m channel may only consume 2W per port.
• 10GBASE-T is by far the most cost effective 10GB/s application

Check out this cover article from Processor Magazine, written with input from Siemon.  It gives an overview of the latest 10GBASE-T active equipment technology advancements and how they indicate a strong future for twisted pair copper cabling.  Focusing on drastically  reduced power consumption versus previous generations of 10GBASE-T PHYs, reduced deployment and maintenance costs and improved infrastructure flexibility, it is a brief and solid rundown on the current state of 10Gb/s  ethernet and structured cabling.

For those of you paying attention to what’s happening in high-speed multimode fiber (which should be just about all of us in the data center and network infrastructure world), the TIA’s Encircled Flux test method has become a bit of a hot button topic.

Now, if you want a full technical rundown of Encircled Flux, I suggest checking out a recent article in Cabling Installation and Maintenance magazine. Article: Encircled flux improves test equipment loss measurements

If you don’t have that kind of time, here’s what you should know:

• Encircled Flux insertion loss and return loss test methods were created in response to higher-speed transmissions over multimode fiber  (i.e.: 10/40/100Gb/s).
• These higher speeds create significant variability in test results when using the previous test parameters – possibly degrading expected performance through inaccurate results and false passes.
• Encircled Flux testing standards reduce this variability by as much as 75%.
• Testing high-speed multimode fiber products under Encircled Flux parameters provides the end-user more assurance that their cabling performs as it should.

This is why Siemon has independently tested its high-speed OM3 and OM4 MTP plug and play assemblies according to the latest Encircled Flux methods.