Users have another outlet for 10G over copper, with a new switch recently released by HP. The ProCurve 3400 series includes 24- and 48-port switches with 10/100/1000M bit/sec connections on the front, and optional 10G links in the back. Among the 10G link options is a 10GBase-CX4 module, which can run 10G over Infiniband copper cabling at a range of up to 50 feet.
Previously, Cisco was the only vendor offering a standards-based 10G over copper product. (The IEEE approved the 802.3ak standard earlier this year). With such a short range, CX-4-based 10G switch ports are good only for linking two large switches in a datacenter, where long fiber-based 10G links are not needed. However, there are rumblings around the industry that a few NIC makers will have 10GBase-CX4 products for servers in the coming months. This could be an interesting technology for users with high-capacity servers. Connecting a box with 10G over copper is around 40% to 60% cheaper than fiber-based 10G, industry observers estimate.
HP is also offering a proprietary extensions to its 10G-over-copper products. Users can also buy a pair of media converters, which allow HP 10GBase-CX4 ports to run over a special fiber cable with up to 300 feet of range — about as far as Gigabit Ethernet runs over copper. This might be useful for longer datacenter cable runs beyond the short distance limitations of the current copper 10G standard.
Post a comment
