10 Gigabit Ethernet Network Cabling Basics

A 10 Gigabit Ethernet, also known as, 10GBE and 10GigE is an upgrade in Ethernet connections. The 10GigE was developed in response to the increased demands for bandwidth. Retrieving and transferring huge amounts of data is a challenge for lower bandwidth networks. The implementation of 10GigE cables aims to improve the overall user experience.

History

The IEEE 802.3 Higher Speed Study Group was formed in 1998, and development of the 10GigE began the following year. By 2002, the 10GigE standard was first published as IEEE Std 802.3ae-2002. This standard defines a normal data rate of 10 Gigabits, making it ten times faster than the Gigabit Ethernet.
Subsequent standard updates ensued in relation to the first 10GigE version published in 2002. The IEEE 802.3ae-2002 fiber, followed by 802.3ak-2004 in 2004, which were later consolidated into IEEE 802.3-2005 in the year 2005. In 2006, 802.3an-2006, which is a 10 Gigabit Base-T copper twisted pair and an enhanced version with fiber- LRM PMD followed known as 802.3aq-2006. Finally, in 2007, the 802.3ap-2007 with copper backplane evolved.

Function

The 10 Gigabit Ethernet cable aims to increase speed at a reasonable price. It also maintains the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet frame formats and provides backward compatibility with previous Ethernet standards. In contrast to the older Ethernet standards, the 10 Gigabit Ethernet standards do not utilize half-duplex operation. Instead, it favors the full-duplex operation. It is also the fastest of all Ethernet standards. The 10GigE will improve data transfers, VoIP (Voice over IP), use of streaming media, managed services, data storage and data center consolidation.
.

Types

There are two main types of 10 Gigabit Ethernet; the fiber (10GBASE-R, -SR, -LR, -LRM, -ER and -ZR) and copper (10GBASE-X, -CX4, -KX4, -KR and --T). The optical fiber has two classifications; one is the single-mode fiber (SMF), which follows a single path, and the multi-mode fiber (MMF), which follows multiple paths. SMF is the choice for long distance communication, with distances 300 meters and over, while MMF is the choice for distances less than 300 meters. SMF cables usually come in yellow colors, while MMF cables come in orange colors.

Considerations

Compatibility issues may arise with existing Ethernet connections. Check backward compatibility before mixing different Ethernet standards with the 10GigE. It is still unknown at this point if a 1GigE NIC will work with a 10GigE switch port and vice versa.

Potential

The 10 Gigabit Ethernet can offer significant improvements in end-to-end latency, reducing the packet transmit time by a factor of 10X. For applications where low latency is critical, such as a data center operating 24/7 or a financial trading environment where downtime should be minimal at best, this is very important. By reducing the time for network packets to transmit, the 10 Gigabit Ethernet network cabling provides a more reliable and efficient environment compared to the other Ethernet standards.

Resources

• 10 Gigabit Ethernet Definition