Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!uwm.edu!mailrus!ncar!boulder!gore!jacob From: jacob@gore.com (Jacob Gore) Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip Subject: Re: Thinwire vs. Thickwire Message-ID: <670003@gore.com> Date: 30 Sep 89 22:43:54 GMT References: <8909291306.AA06775@jvnca.csc.org> Reply-To: jacob@gore.com (Jacob Gore) Organization: Gore Enterprises Lines: 34 / comp.protocols.tcp-ip / aggarwal@JVNCA.CSC.ORG (Vikas Aggarwal none) /Sep 29/ [lists some tradeoffs between thin and thick wire Ethernet] Also: THINWIRE Transceivers and drop cables can be used Transceiver can be (and often is) built into the computer instead If using transceivers and drop cables: Non-intrusive transceivers are not available (cable must be cut to insert new transceiver) If not using transceivers and drop cables: Cable generally runs within an inch of each computer Non-intrusive off-shoot cables are available, but their outlets must be inserted into the cable in advance, and they add twice their length to the total length of the network THICKWIRE Transceivers and drop cables must be used Non-intrusive transceivers are available ("vampire-tap") In short, if your network is best served by a central-spine-with-drop-cables topology, then one additional advantage of thick Ethernet is that you can add new transceivers easily. And then there's Twisted-Pair Ethernet... Jacob -- Jacob Gore Jacob@Gore.Com boulder!gore!jacob