[rescue] Gigabit ethernet - worth it?

[rescue at sunhelp.org]

I have been running gigabit for a few years now. Here is what I've seen.

1) your switch fabric is VERY important, since hosts can now flood your
switch faster. Cheap switches will kill performance to sub-100mb
performance.

2) copper gigabit benefits from grounded sheilded-twisted-pair (noise
problems).

3) most hosts cannot really take advantage of gigabit. Sun Enterprises can
come close, inter-switch links can, most others are a waste of money. A
linux machine on top-end VALinux hardware cannot fully utilize gigabit
links. In fact, casual network analysis shows it doesn't do better than
200mbs one way, and only in short bursts. Windows machines on top-end
hardware don't even take full advantage of 100mbs copper, so forget it.

Mostly, it is usefull for backbones and inter-switch links. Its REALLY good
for 802.1q or ISL trunks (where a weak link will hurt everyone). Someday
host hardware/operating systems will catch up. I have not had the pleasure
of seeing such beasts as S/390's, new RS6K's or Crays on gigabit. They may
keep up the pace. I would not trust a $99.00 switch, even at 100mbs.

James Fogg, Network Engineer
Vicinity Corporation - New Hampshire
(603) 442-1751

~ -----Original Message-----
~ From: Patrick Giagnocavo [mailto:patrick at zill.net]
~ Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2002 2:55 AM
~ To: rescue at sunhelp.org
~ Subject: [rescue] Gigabit ethernet - worth it?
~ 
~ 
~ I know that Dave would prefer we all use FDDI, but on justdeals.com I
~ see gbit ethernet cards for $34.99 and a 5-port gbit switch 
~ for $99.99.
~ 
~ What is the collective wisdom of the list concerning this stuff?  
~ 
~ The ethernet card appears to be a tigon-based card and has an R4k chip
~ on it along with other stuff... supported under *BSD and I think under
~ PCI Suns (a version of this card was sold by SGI apparently as well,
~ or at least one based on the same chipset).
~ 
~ ./patrick
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