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sobriqueFibre optics are a most marvelous invention.
I mean, we can shine a light, down 20Km of cable, with enough signal integrity to get 2Gb data transfers to SCSI disks.
Great.
Their one drawback is that light doesn't go round corners - bend your optic fibre, and it won't work. And unless you're really lucky, it'll also crack and never work again.
The former, means we use optic fibre to talk to our SAN. The latter, means it's a pain in the arse to deal with.
Server racks. Many cables. Raised flooring, and doors that just seem to have been _designed_ for the purpose of kinking fibres.
You know how cables twist up when you try and untangle them? Well, a little 'knot' in a fibre is a guaranteed kill.
Buggrit. Gone through another couple today.
Oh, incidentally, whilst it's effective, I don't recommend looking at the end of a fibre to check it's working. It's a class 1 infra-red laser. So whilst it's not permanantly harmful, it's also an awful lot brighter than it appears, and it _will_ make your eyes water. After an hour or so.
I mean, we can shine a light, down 20Km of cable, with enough signal integrity to get 2Gb data transfers to SCSI disks.
Great.
Their one drawback is that light doesn't go round corners - bend your optic fibre, and it won't work. And unless you're really lucky, it'll also crack and never work again.
The former, means we use optic fibre to talk to our SAN. The latter, means it's a pain in the arse to deal with.
Server racks. Many cables. Raised flooring, and doors that just seem to have been _designed_ for the purpose of kinking fibres.
You know how cables twist up when you try and untangle them? Well, a little 'knot' in a fibre is a guaranteed kill.
Buggrit. Gone through another couple today.
Oh, incidentally, whilst it's effective, I don't recommend looking at the end of a fibre to check it's working. It's a class 1 infra-red laser. So whilst it's not permanantly harmful, it's also an awful lot brighter than it appears, and it _will_ make your eyes water. After an hour or so.
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Date: 2004-04-30 08:29 am (UTC)Need another 100gb on that server? Hmm, 5 minutes... (well, actually it's nearer 20, but still a lot quicker than ordering new drives)