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CIS 485 Assignment #2 Josh Brown 300060685 December 2nd 2010 DATE: December 2, 2010 TO: Duncan Jeffries, Owner FROM: Josh Brown, Network Administrator SUBJECT: CHOICE OF NETWORKING SERVICES I have written the report you requested November 22nd investigating the possibility of our Museum’s implementation of Fiber Optic cabling. It discusses the issues with installing copper lines and compares the benefits of each service. It then evaluates Fiber Optics presenting a recommendation based on that evaluation. Problem: Copper Networks are Outdated Technology John Tyndall is often credited as the father of fiber optics due to his research on the transmission of light in the 1870’s. After the invention of the photophone however, Fiber Optics hit a standstill for nearly a century. It wasn’t until the 1970’s when the US Military began to use fiber optic technology and since then it has been expanding exponentially in both performance and reduction of cost. Regardless of where you look today you see new businesses installing fiber optic cable. Businesses around the world want the fastest data transmission rates that the world can offer. Despite the recent advancements in unshielded-twisted-pair cable, fiber optics continues to expand at a faster rate. Investigation shows that depending on the situation, either technology can be ideal. It is my belief that fiber fits our current situation better and the details of this is explained below. Establishing Criteria for our Network: Cost One of the biggest factors when installing a network has always been cost. It is common knowledge that copper cabling is cheaper than their fiber optic counterparts because fiber optics give better performance. To get into such a mind set however, would be narrow minded. In certain situations, an all-fiber Local Area Network is actually cheaper than a copper network. Copper Local Area Network layouts are similar to the initial telephone system designs. The Local Area Network is divided into horizontal cabling connecting the desktop and hub in a wiring closet no longer than 90 meters. This distance limitation is one of the key factors in determining that the cost can be cheaper than the untwisted pair cables. Closets have hubs, which require space, power, UPS and installation. Depending on location you may even need air conditioning, punch downs, patch panels and other passive hardware. Fiber optics on the other hand, does not need to have a wiring closet every 90 meters. Horizontal and backbone links are not required. All that fiber optics does require is one link, a pair of fibers connecting the telecom closet to the desktop. This means that fiber optics saves money by cutting out conditioned power for a hub, backup power for the hub, a separate data ground, installation fees, maintenance labor, space and air conditioning to get rid of the heat generated. With fiber optics, one only needs to link cables to the backbone through an intermediate passive patch panel. The common businessman overlooks the cost of these wiring closets. According to research, networking closets have the following estimated costs: |Service |Cost | |Conditioned UPS Power |$500-5000 | |Data Ground |$500-1500 | |HVAC |$250-5000 plus Air Conditioning | |Floor Space |$100-200/sq ft | Based on this information we can come to the following conclusion. Upon reaching a certain threshold in building size, fiber optic networks become cheaper than copper networks. Evidence to this theory holds true when we look at the Getty Museum in Los Angelas, which saved $4,000,000 by installing an all-fiber network. Had they gone with a copper network they would have had to build 55 telecom closets at a cost of $73,000 per closet. The $100 adaptor to connect each desktop to a fiber network isn’t looking so costly now. Establishing Criteria for our Network: Reliability Another very important factor when building a network is how reliable it will be. Downtime for certain business models can cause companies to lose millions of dollars yearly, especially in the case of large shipping companies, retail chains, hospitals, food manufacturers and banks. Fiber Optics is immune to electrical noise. Electronic noise is a fluctuation in an electric signal which can cause downtime or a degraded performance on a network. Radio frequency and natural disasters such as lightning also have no negative impact on fiber optic networks. Since they do not conduct electricity, fiber optic networks can be installed in various areas that are prone to electrical interference. In addition to this, fiber is lighter in weight and impervious to outdoor conditions, grounding, shorting and crosstalk. Another way to look at the reliability of fiber optics is that you only have half as many electronic parts to worry about since all the hub closets were removed. With half as many pieces of equipment likely to fail, this means that fiber networks are twice as reliable. Troubleshooting is also relatively painless due to all the master electronics being in one spot. Previously, fiber optics was often advertised as being more secure than a copper network. Due to recent advances in technology however, this benefit is false. Neither copper nor fiber networks should ever justify lowering security costs on the physical level. Finally fiber optic cabling is sturdier than their copper counterparts. Copper wire can withstand pull strength of roughly 25 pounds before snapping, while fiber can withstand roughly 150 pounds. Establishing Criteria for our Network: Performance By far the most beneficial advantage of fiber optics is the bandwidth, allowing for a wide range of information carrying capacity. Copper networks lose signal strength over distance, requiring repeaters to boost the signal. It is capable of transmitting 1000 Mbps per 100 meters. Fiber on the other hand is capable of transmitting 10,000 Mbps per 40,000 meters. In other words, fiber can transmit ten times the amount of data a second over 400 times the distance. In a perfect situation this would make its capacity 4000 times more efficient. While they have recently released 10 Gigabit Ethernet, it is incredibly flimsy. Even the slightest crimp or a force of tension of 25 pounds or greater would significantly impact network performance. Even with an ideal network, most networks only run Ethernet at 10 MB/s to the desktop since the cabling won’t support the faster speeds. With all these factors favoring fiber optics, the obvious question arises. Why are we still using copper cabling' Fiber is easy to install, just many people lack training. As a society, we are often accustomed to what we are used to and the familiar copper wire has been around since the invention of the telephone. Common End User Concerns Fiber has had many misconceptions in the past by the uninformed user that may have deferred them from implementing a fiber network. This report will address some of these concerns by summarizing some of the content talked about earlier in the report. Fiber is fragile and cannot survive harsh conditions. Partially due to the creation of windows, people associate the word glass with fragile. Optical fiber however is made out of pure silica which can handle temperature and pulling forces greater than copper or steel strands of the same diameter. This gives it a much longer lifespan than the copper cable, reducing costs of replacement cable. Fiber’s capabilities are extreme and unnecessary. Fiber optics can transmit data error-free over far greater distances while at the same time support higher data rates. While it is true that copper wiring can get the job done, during busy system hours bottlenecks occur along with slow throughput or even downtime. Downtime hurts certain businesses more than others, but every company should be striving to minimize it. Fiber is more difficult to install than copper. This is a large misconception that arose due to the lack of technician familiarity with fiber optic cabling. In certain situations fiber optics is actually easier to install than copper wiring. Installing a copper network is more time consuming. Furthermore copper networks have more regulations on how cable is pulled and terminated than fiber optics. Fiber connections do not need to worry about EMI/RFI interference while installing a network. Testing fiber is easier than copper as well. Fiber cables as stated previously, are not affected by near-end crosstalk, nor is operating performance impacted by frequency. Tests can be run by measuring attenuation of the fiber link. Meanwhile copper links must be tested for attenuation, cable length and crosstalk. Attenuation and near-end crosstalk tests have to be done across the entire frequency range because copper systems performance changes at different frequencies and often cannot be upgraded. Fiber on the other hand can be upgraded to higher frequency protocols without impacting performance. Switching from copper to fiber is expensive. When you factor in the lifetime costs, fiber is cheaper than copper. Fiber has no need to pull new cable every time the network is upgraded. Fiber also has fewer electronics and network closets reducing installation costs, maintenance costs and the chance of downtime. Due to the longevity of fiber optics, switching a network from copper to fiber can be considered a future proofing investment. Copper cables need to be pulled once every 3-5 years, while fiber optics last for 10-15. This frees management from worrying about cable infrastructure when making system upgrades. Conclusions and Recommendations Analysts agree that fiber optics will replace copper cable within the next 50 years. Due to the size of our Museum, it has been estimated that fiber will not only be cheaper than copper cabling, but the extra space provided will give us more room to display exhibits. Furthermore the performance of fiber optics outweighs copper cabling, making it not only the most cost effective, but best performing option on the market. Therefore, I recommend that we reconsider our copper installation and make the change to equip the new museum with fiber optics instead. References Goff, David R. “A Brief history of Fiber Optic Technology”, Fiber Optic Reference Guide, 3rd ed. Focal Press: 2002. URL: www.fiber-optics.info/fiber-history.htm Fiber Optic Association. Copper or Fiber, (2005) Retrieved 12/01/10 from http://www.thefoa.org/tech/fo-or-cu.htm Fiber Optic Association. Is an all-fiber network really cheaper, (2005) Retrieved 12/01/10 from http://www.thefoa.org/tech/allfiber.htm Pearson, Eric R. Fiber vs Copper, (2002) Retrieved 12/01/10 from http://www.thefoa.org/tech/fiber-cu.htm Woodward, William R. The Advantages of Fiber Optics over Copper Cable, (2009) Retrieved 12/03/10 from http://www.wrsystems.com/whitepapers/Fiber%20Optics%20vs%20Copper%20Cable.pdf Wilson, Jeff. Companies Lose 2%-16% of Revenue to Network Downtime, (2005) Retrieved 12/03/10 from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Companies+Lose+2%25-16%25+of+Revenue+to+Network+Downtime%3B+Finance%2FMfg...-a0127981937 Advantages of Fiber Optic over Copper wiring, (2009) Retrieved 12/03/10 from http://www.connectworld.net/cdepot/05DTFIBVSCOP.html Fiber Optic Connectors Glass Vs. Copper, (2009) Retrieved 12/03/10 from http://www.sabritec.com/technotes/fibreglassvscopper.html Witcher, Kimberlie. Fiber Optics and its Security Vulnerabilities, (2005) Retrieved 12/04/10 from http://www.sans.org/reading_room/whitepapers/physcial/fiber-optics-security-vulnerabilities_1648