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In general 10 Gigabit Ethernet links are deployed in parts of an enterprise or service provider network where large numbers of Gigabit Ethernet links are being aggregated. This most commonly occurs in the network core, but as gigabit-to-the desktop deployments continue to grow the need for 10 Gigabit Ethernet uplinks from the network edge will emerge. Following are some common uses or applications for 10 Gigabit Ethernet.

Enterprise

As all enterprise applications converge on the common Ethernet backbone, the network must be able to gracefully support a new array of bandwidth hungry applications such as storage, backups and video. To effectively deal with this onslaught of bandwidth demand, forward-thinking network architects are designing enterprise networks with 10 Gigabit Ethernet to meet current and future needs.

Starting from the edge of the network, as gigabit-to-the-desktop deployments continue to grow, the need for 10 gigabit uplinks from a wiring closet switch to handle the performance demands of power users will emerge. Backbone links to entire floors or buildings may run over optical fibers at gigabit rates, while drops to desktop workstations may need to be no faster than 100 Mbps. Naturally, with this upsurge in bandwidth, demand 10 Gigabit Ethernet will be used as a high-speed interconnection between multiple buildings. These buildings could be in close proximity on a self-contained "campus", or could be many miles apart and be connected by dark fiber provided by a local service provider or municipality. Due to the limited distance of 10 Gigabit Ethernet on multimode fiber (MMF), singlemode fiber (SMF) must be deployed or leased to support 10 gigabit building interconnects.

In an enterprise data center, 10 Gigabit Ethernet can be used in a variety of applications such as cluster computing, server attachment and storage interconnect.

High Performance Cluster Computing (HPCC)

Server clusters are a group of tens, hundreds or even thousands of relatively inexpensive (e.g. 1U Linux servers) computers (referred to as nodes) connected in parallel to cooperatively solve large, complex problems. Cluster computing has become a mainstream technological tool for research, financial modeling, digital image rendering and scientific applications. The connection between the various computers in the cluster is typically an Ethernet switch.

Gigabit Ethernet Servers and NAS

As servers and Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices are attached to the edge of the network at 10 gigabit speeds, the network core will have to scale proportionally by link aggregating multiple 10 Gigabit Ethernet links or eventually with 40 Gigabit Ethernet. Network architecture must take into account meeting current Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet server connectivity needs and scale upwards as the need for greater bandwidth inevitably emerges.

Storage Interconnect (iSCSI)

Fibre Channel has been the protocol of choice for storage area networking, however, with the emergence of the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) iSCSI protocol, Fibre Channels dominance is being challenged by IP/Ethernet. Simply put, iSCSI is an IP-based storage networking standard that facilitates data transfers by carrying SCSI (a protocol commonly used for communication between storage devices and computers) commands over IP networks. As iSCSI continues to gain in popularity, 10 Gigabit Ethernet links are the logical choice to carry the enormous volumes of data that traverse large corporate networks.

Given the extreme complex nature of designing an appropriate Gigabit Ethernet network architecture....and even deciding if it's right for your organization....it's strongly suggested that you not dump this whole animal on your IT staff. At a minimum....make use of free technical consultation for the bandwidth sourcing requirements from DS3-Bandwidth.com.

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications....including DS3-Bandwidth.com and Business-VoIP-Solution.com Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you're always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.

The notion that most old people fear technology is fast becoming an outmoded one, as recent figures reveal that more than half of Britons aged over 50 have access to the internet. Of those, one in five regularly access emails, and use instant messaging, internet phones and social networks to keep in touch with family and friends; figures that match the rest of the population.

Over-50s, or 'silver surfers' as they are known, spend almost 205 billion a year in the UK, presenting an enormous opportunity for on-line merchants. However, only a few 'enlightened' companies even consider older people when marketing on-line, with less than 5% of total online marketing budgets targeted at this age group. That is bound to change soon as on-line retailers catch-on, but in the meantime silver surfers are making the most of what else the internet has to offer.

There is anecdotal evidence that there is a hard-core of retired people who could be classified as 'early adopters', due to their eagerness to try out new features online and buy the latest technology. Indeed, many of those have the latest machines and gadgets, including items such as professional standard webcams, so that they can take advantage of free video calls to see as well as talk to their children and grandchildren.

In this day and age when it is much more common for families to live on opposite sides of the world, everyone has much more opportunity to keep in touch with their immediate families, via the internet. Instant messaging has been available for many years, but text based communication is incapable of delivering true emotion or sentiment, resulting in the introduction of a whole new system of graphic emotions using various smiley faces, to which older people tend not to subscribe.

The best form of communication is face-to-face, but when that isn't possible the next best alternative is video calling; a much better option for people who want to talk and not type. And many of the older 'early adopters' have already discovered that as technology is advancing so quickly high-quality images can now be delivered via internet to the opposite side of the world in an instant, allowing them to stay in touch with their loved ones all over the globe. All that is required is that people that wish to communicate with each other via this method have a webcam and the same provider software installed on their PC or laptop.

But, the real beauty of this technology, as many over-50s have already discovered, is that voice and video calls made through the same provider are free. Now, not only can they exchange all their latest news online, they can talk about it for as long as they like safe in the knowledge that it's not costing them a penny!

Who says that old people can't adapt to new technology?