[SunRescue] Mixing 10 & 100Mbps Ethernet

[Tim Harrison]

Michael Doyle wrote:

> A question for the future has occurred to me.  Given that many of our
> home networks of older computers have only 10Mbps Ethernet, I am
> wondering if these can be hooked up to the networks of our future 'old'
> computers that will have only 100Mbps, and eventually Gigabit Ethernet?
> I have no experience with 100Mbps Ethernet hubs, but in my reading on
> the 'Net it seems that a 10/100Mbps compatible hub will be needed.
> Another bit of gear to look for down the line.

You might end up having a series of hubs/switches.  A la:

10Mbps-box -> 10/100-switch -> 100/Gb-switch -> router -> public
network.  Considering the proliferation of 10/100Mbps gear out there,
it'll be a snap to find used ones 10 years from now.
 
> Not to mention software - will there will implementations of IPv6 for
> SunOS 4.x and NextStep 3.x, for instance, should the ISP's stop routing
> IPv4...

You can encapsulate IPv4 in IPv6.  That should probably work for a
while.  I'm guessing (I haven't spent much time with IPv6 yet) that your
router would be able to do that encapsulation, and continue on merrily. 
I doubt that IPv6 will completely obliterate IPv4 anytime soon. 
Renumbering the entire internet would take years to complete.  After
that, who knows.  I suppose it would be like trying to run DECNet over
your routers and onto the public network.

-- 


Tim Harrison
Network Administrator
harrison at timharrison.com
http://www.networklevel.com/