Which Ethernet Cable type should you use?

When it comes to using Ethernet cables to build any connection, whether for a home or office, selecting a quality network cable is a confusing job as all wires are not the same. Cat5e, Cat6 or Cat7, which Ethernet cable type should you choose? To work this out, here is what you need to know.


Different Speeds of Ethernet Cable Type
Ethernet cable type has been evolving since the beginning of the Ethernet standard in 1985. Many different Ethernet cable types have been developed, such as Cat5e Ethernet cable, Cat7, etc. They look very similar from the outside, and any of them can be plugged into an Ethernet port, allowing users to have Internet access or interact with shared network resources. However, they are designed with different transmission speeds. The following table lists the different speeds of the Ethernet cable type.


As it can be seen that, as the number of Ethernet cable type gets higher, so does the speed and bandwidth. Cat5e works for 1000Mbps (Gigabit) Ethernet, and it has become the most widely used category on the market. Cat6 Ethernet cable has been improved, including better insulation and thinner wires, which is full-on certified to handle Gigabit speeds. And Cat6 cable is also suitable for 10G uses. Cat6a Ethernet cable is the enhanced version of Cat6, it can support 10Gbps transmission with a higher bandwidth of 500MHz. Cat7 cable is up to 10Gbps, which is more suitable for data centres’ applications. The latest technology Cat8 can be up to 25/40Gbps. It’s more appropriate for professional and commercial installation such as industrial situations or data centres.

Different Designs of Ethernet cable type
Knowing different speeds of Ethernet cable types is not enough when you decide to buy cables, here are another two aspects that also need to be considered.

UTP vs STP
Because all Ethernet cables are twisted, producers use shielding to further protect the cable from interference. This is the direct difference between UTP (unshielded twisted pair) and STP (shielded twisted pair). STP cable is designed to reduce the effect of EMI (electro-magnetic interference). These cables are generally used in places like airports, medical centres or factories. While UTP cables are often installed for home or office uses.

Solid vs Stranded
Solid and stranded Ethernet cables refer to the actual copper conductor in the pairs. Solid cables use a single piece of copper for the electrical conductor, and stranded cables use a series of copper cables twisted together. Solid cables are more durable, which are most often used in permanent installations, with wiring the inside office walls or under floors. On the other hand, stranded Ethernet cables are more flexible and should be used at your desk or anywhere you may be moving the cable around often.

Conclusion
Before setting up an Internet connection, it’s wise to know the different speeds and designs of the various Ethernet cable types. And choose one Ethernet cable type based on your own network need. No matter what your networking needs are, FS is sure to have the suitable category and length Ethernet cables for your connections.

White Box Switch vs Brite Box Switch: Which to Choose?

Open networking means the switch hardware and switch software can be developed independently from each other. With an open networking environment, many organizations have realized open source benefits such as improved flexibility and reduced costs. When IT staff decide to build this open networking, they may come across the word of white box switch or brite box switch. Both the two types of open source switches can be used in data center SDN (software defined network) environment. But what’s the difference between them, and which one should you choose? This is the point here, we will provide some definitions and perspectives so you can make the right choice.


What Is White Box Switch?
White box switch is a by-product of SDN, which decouples the hardware (a bare metal switch) from the NOS. It allows customers to buy open switch hardware and pair it with their preferred networking operating system (NOS) like Cumulus Linux or PicOS. Customers can buy white box switch from hardware suppliers like Accton, Quanta. In its early development, white box switches are popular in the huge scale data centers like Facebook, Google, because they have the technical team who can operate Linux. Therefore, they can configure the hardware and the software by themselves. But today, small and medium organizations also try to introduce white box switch to improve their networks.

What is Brite Box Switch?
The term brite box is a white box switch but with a brand name such as Dell and HP on them. Essentially, people could regard brite box switch as the middle ground between a traditional switch and white box switch. But not that brite box switches are pre-loaded with a vendor’s (e.g. Cumulus Networks or Big Switch Networks) operating system. Thus, using brite box switch, customers can receive professional service from the hardware and software suppliers. And the cost of brite box switch is much cheaper than the traditional switch price. As an open source switch, it allows customers to have the flexibility to choose the software and configure their networks.

White Box switch vs Brite Box Switch: Which to Choose?
The future of open networking lies within the choices of “white” and “brite”. Both of them are open source switches, offering open networking hardware that IT staff can enjoy the flexibility that is expected in a software defined network. With white box and brite box switch, hardware and software are no longer coupled, and as a result, companies can avoid the traditional vendor lock-in which has been a feature of hardware ownership. And note that they may have the same switching chip made by the same producers like Microsemi and can achieve advanced features like MLAG, VxLAN. However, they also have differences as followed.

Technical Support
This is the typical difference between the two open source switches. Brite box switch preloaded with NOS can provide better technical service and support from the vendors, while white box switch is a bare metal switch which requires users to buy NOS by themselves. Therefore, only the hyperscale organizations like Amazon and Facebook have the resources to afford the technology of white box switching, because they have the IT engineers who are familiar with Linux operations. They can run and maintain the NOS by themselves. On the other hand, brite box switch eliminates the need to have a network software team to write an operating system, which is more suitable for small and medium networks without IT engineers. They could get technical help or support from the vendors while enjoying the open source networking.

Cost
The cost of white box switch is cheaper, since customers don’t need to pay for the NOS. They have the freedom to choose a NOS with lower price. Therefore, operating expenditure of white box switch is much lower than that of brite box switch.

Conclusion
Choosing a white box switch or brite box switch, organizations should make the decision based on their own conditions. For large data centers, white box switch is a nice choice since they have the experts who can operate Linux, while brite box switches are suitable for small and medium organizations since they can offer professional software support.

To satisfy customers’ various demands, FS has released N-series open network data switch with Cumulus Linux, which can receive professional support from FS and Cumulus. If you have more questions about open networking, please contact us through sales@fs.com. We are the reliable networking solution supplier, including a broad portfolio of network switches that range from Gigabit Ethernet switch to 10G/25G/100G switch, and based on the ports there are 8 port switch, 24 port switch, 32 port switch and 48 port switch.

Shielded vs Unshielded Ethernet Cable: Which Should You Use?

Ethernet cables are classified into sequentially numbered categories (e.g. Cat6, Cat7) according to different specifications. And these categories are how we can easily know what type of cable we need for specific transmission speed, Cat5e Ethernet cable supports up to 1000Mbps, while the latest category Cat8 Ethernet cable can be up to 25/40Gbps. But as for shielded vs unshielded Ethernet cable, how to choose? To find this out, make sure you know the basic information and differences between the two types.

Shielded vs Unshielded Ethernet Cable: Basic InformationPreview Changes
A shielded cable or shield twisted pair (STP) cable has an outside layer or “shield” of conductive material around the internal conductors, which needs to be grounded to cancel the effect of electromagnetic interference (EMI). The conductive shield can reflect or conduct external interference away without affecting the signals of the internal conductor. Therefore, shielded Ethernet cables are usually used to protect signals from EMI over the length of the cable run, so as to result in faster transmission speeds and fewer data errors.

Unshielded means no additional shielding like meshes or aluminum foil are used. Because of this, unshielded Ethernet cables, also called unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable are lighter and cheaper. These Ethernet cables are designed to cancel EMI with the way the pairs are twisted inside the cables. Compared with the shielded cables, unshielded cables provide much less protection. These cables performances are often degraded when EMI is present.


This is a figure of Cat6 shielded and unshielded cable.

Shielded vs Unshielded Ethernet Cable: Difference
Different applications
The typical difference between the two types lies in the application. Because of the shielding material design, STP and UTP cable will result in different performance. For example, Cat6 shielded and unshielded cable can be up to 10Gbps speed. However, in some cases such as the radio or airports stations, Cat6 UTP cable will experience slower speed and more data transmission errors may be caused when they are close to the machines or other electronics that produce high EMI. But with the additional shielded safeguard, Cat6 STP cable can provide some protection from EMI, performing better than the UTP one. Therefore, STP cables are the best choice for the environments where there is a high chance of electronic interference, while UTP is most suitable for office or home LANs.

Different grounding methods
In addition, due to the different designs, their cabling grounding methods are different. UTP cables don’t rely on grounding to the same extent as STP cabling. This will decrease the installation time and cost. However, STP needs a more robust grounding and bonding process. And note that the wrong grounded shield actually can worsen crosstalk and electromagnetic interference.

Which Should I Choose?
As for shielded vs unshielded Ethernet cable, the best choice should largely depend on where you plan to install the cables. As mentioned above, STP and UTP cables are widely used in different fields due to EMI interference requirement. Airports, medical centres and factories often benefit from STP cabling, because these places need to process numerous machines that produce considerable amounts of interference. On the other hand, for home and office use, it’s wise to choose UTP cables.

Besides, the budget is another factor which may determine the final decision. It’s believed that STP cost much more than UTP since it can provide better protection from EMI. It’s true, but the gap is narrow. For instance, Cat6 Ethernet cable at FS, the Cat6 UTP of 10ft length costs 2.6 dollars while Cat6 shield cable with the same length needs 3.6 dollars, there is only a very small gap, which may be significant for large scale installations, but not for small networks.

Therefore, as for shielded vs unshielded Ethernet cable, it should be determined by the intended application. If you’re still not sure what type of cabling you need, please contact us via sales@fs.com for expert advice.

Network automation with FS N-series data center switches

As enterprises and data centers increasingly adopt cloud models and expand initiatives like mobility, big data analytics and unified communications, there are tens of thousands of computing, storage and network devices. It’s such a big challenge to manage these processes by traditional manual operation through command line interfaces (CLIs). Under this circumstance, network automation is becoming a necessity for IT departments, allowing them to better utilize and manage the computational and storage resources while maintaining high working efficiency. Then what is network automation? Here focuses on network automation benefits like easier configuration, management, operation, and then explains how FS N-series data switches can help automate networks.

What Is Network Automation?
Network automation is the process of automating the configuration, management, testing, deployment and operation of physical and virtual devices in a network. Automation can be deployed in any type of network, no matter it’s the LAN, WAN, cloud network or wireless network. It can be achieved through a combination solution of hardware like a bare metal Gigabit Ethernet switch and software like the open source software Cumulus Linux. This solution can automatically execute and manage repetitive network process. For example, process like configuring devices, updating software, even implementing security and compliance can be performed automatically.

Network Automation Benefits
There are many advantages of automating network.

Simplify configuration and management
In the past, network administrators used to spend a lot of time setting up and configuring ports and devices to allow and forbid users and applications access to parts of the network, it’s a time-consuming job. Network automation allows network switch to has a flexible scripting mechanism that it can automatically determine the objects affected by a change, undertake or monitor change, and then provide a report.

Reduce human error
It has been proven that network automation can help reduce human error. Updating or changing the configuration of lots of network switches is not an easy job, which should not be done manually. Otherwise, network failures will be caused by the incorrect change. Automated mechanisms can reduce or eliminate the silly mistakes since it allows customers to make changes in one centralized repository.

Reduce cost
This benefit comes as a result of the previous two items. Through network automation, fewer person-hours are needed for devices configuration and management, which can greatly reduce labor cost.

How FS N-series Data Switches Help Automate Networks?
To help customers simplify the complexities in networks such as installation complexities, operational complexities, etc. FS.COM has released N-series data center switches. These are open source switches which are preloaded with Cumulus Linux OS, bringing an open networking environment for users and helping them avoid vendor lock-in. This family includes 10GbE switch, 25GbE switch, 40G and 100G switch, and all the switches can be ToR, Leaf or Spine switches. With low latency and power efficiency in a PHY-less design, N-series data switches can provide stable, reliable and secure Layer 2/Layer 3 switching services. And they are equipped with features like MLAG, SNMP, NCLU, EVPN. Besides, installed with Cumulus Linux, those data center switches can achieve network automation by using various automation tools like Ansible, Chef, Puppet and so on based on their demands. They are all free but offer paid add-ons (such as GUI or support).



FS N-series switches with Cumulus Linux OS also can simplify network configuration and management, and reduce human errors. In addition, with the unique Linux OS, it can bring higher levels of automation to the data center network.

More flexible automation.FS.COM N-series network switches are the best choices for data centers or high-end industrial areas, since they can bring customers an open, high-performance and scalable solution for their networks and avoid vendor lock-in. With Cumulus Linux OS, users have the flexibility to choose one automation tool like Ansible that works for their networks, instead of using expensive proprietary products. This will greatly reduce the network budget.
Rapid provisioning.Through leveraging off-the-shelf DevOps, deploying network configurations just takes seconds instead of spending months and weeks. All the modern DevOps tools can also create easy to read reports and output accounting data in a variety of formats.
Using DevOp modules.Cumulus Networks has developed some modules to make automation much easier. These modules are specific pieces of code built into a DveOps tool to make them more robust, easier to drive and more specific to your situation.
Besides, FS N-series switches with Cumulus Linux allow users to use the existing automation tools to reduce manual implementation and execute configuration.
Conclusion
Network automation is the key for simplifying network operations and management, which helps reduce human errors and improve working efficiency. FS N-series data center switches adopt web-scale methodology with network automation, allowing customers to enjoy higher levels of automation networks through flexible automation tools and rapid provisioning. Any detailed information, please visit FS.COM or contact us via sales@fs.com.

Copper Cable vs Fibre Optic Cable Price, Is the Copper Really Cheaper?

Budget is always the most direct choice factor when installing cables. Copper cable vs fibre optic cable price, it’s true that the popular impression is that copper is cheap, fibre is expensive. Well, at a certain period in the past decades, it’s true. However, today with the development of networking, is copper cabling really cheaper than fibre optic cabling?


Copper vs Fibre: What’s the Difference?
Copper and fibre optic cable are different cable types. Copper cable, also called RJ45 Ethernet cable, transmits data by electrical impulses, which is perfectly adequate for voice signals. Copper cables have many types such as Cat5, Cat6, Cat7 and Cat8, which can reach different transmission speeds. Cat5 Ethernet cable is once as slow as 10 Mbps over 100 metres. However, on today’s market, copper is getting faster. That the latest technology Cat8 Ethernet cable speed now can reach 40Gbps for 20 metres, but note that it has the notable limitation with regard to distance.

Unlike copper cable, fibre cable is made from fine hair-like glass fibres, which transmits data via light. Therefore, fibre cable does not conduct electricity, which is impervious to radio frequency interference. It’s naturally more durable than copper that it can withstand tougher environments and harsher weather conditions. As for the speed, fibre definitely wins for sheer speed and longer transmission distance. For example, the maximum distance of single mode fibre OS2 can be up to 200km. The following table makes a clear comparison between copper and fibre cables.

Factors of Copper Cable vs Fibre Optic Cable Price
People always believe the cost of fibre optic cables are expensive. Is it true? The following will discuss it in two main factors.

Installation Cost
Due to the technological differences between fibre and copper cables, their installation cost are different. Fibre’s immunity to electromagnetic interference (EMI) can save users’ cost, because they don’t need to lay fibre optic cables in the pipeline for avoiding electromagnetic interference. But copper cables need some protection, which increases the installation cost. Besides, in many scenarios, users need distributed cabinets for copper network while fibres don’t require this due to the longer distances. There are duplicated costs of building comms rooms, air con, ventilation, UPS (Uninterruptible Power Source) that people should not ignore in copper cabling. All these installation costs will exceed the extra cost of fibre equipment in a centralized fibre architecture. Therefore, if people decide to build a new data center, choosing fibre-based LAN is a much more economical solution than a copper networking environment.

Support Cost
Fibre optic cables are not fire hazard since light can not catch on fire. This means fibre cabling can save the cost of fire prevention. And fibre cables don’t break as easily, that customers will not worry about replacing them frequently. Thus, the support cost of fibre is less than the copper cable.
On the other hand, the increasing demand for fibre cables results in dropping prices. For example, at FS.COM, a Cat6 UTP cable with 3ft length needs 2.2 dollars, while LC to LC UPC duplex single mode fibre patch cable with 3ft length just costs 3 dollars. The price difference is narrow. Therefore, when copper cable vs fibre optic cable price, the cost of copper cabling is not much cheaper than fibres.

Conclusion
In conclusion, copper cable vs fibre optic cable price, the copper one is not always the wise choice. When building a new network, people should not ignore the installation and support costs of these different cabling solutions. It’s wise to choose one according to the actual installation environments. If you have any further questions about fibre or copper cabling, you can always get in touch with FS.COM staff via sales@fs.com.