- Oct 10, 1999
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We are looking to give our file server a boost by installing a gigabit card into it, currently it runs 100BT. The switch it will connect to is a Catalyst 3548-XL, so we can either use 1. copper or 2. SX laser. The copper option looks nice since we can get the GBIC and NIC for ~$450. The SX option is ~$750 or so, because we already have an SX GBIC to use on the switch. On our campus, there is currently no server using gigE over copper, only SX NICs, and I think it would be neat to explore copper since it is cheaper than SX. Money really is not an object, we can swing the SX NIC fine, it's just why do it with SX if we can do it cheaper with Cu?
The server is running Novell 4.11 at the moment and it's a Gateway (don't laugh, I didn't buy it) 7200 ALR, P2-350, 128MB RAM (we'll upgrade), umm like 9x9GB RAID 50 array, etc. We are looking towards getting rid of Novell sometime, either going to Windows 2000 or maybe Solaris x86. Of course, now that I look at, it seems like we should buy a new server. Oh well.
So if we go with gigabit over copper, I see two choice for NICs:
Intel 1000T
3com 3c996-T
According to the online docs, it looks like the Intel NIC will work in the 32-bit/33Mhz PCI slots the server has. The 3com says it needs a PCI 2.2 compliant server, which ours isn't. But will it work anyways? That's one issue I'm confused on. If it won't, we can go Intel.
So in a nutshell, should we go with GigE over Cu? If so, which NIC?
Thanks
The server is running Novell 4.11 at the moment and it's a Gateway (don't laugh, I didn't buy it) 7200 ALR, P2-350, 128MB RAM (we'll upgrade), umm like 9x9GB RAID 50 array, etc. We are looking towards getting rid of Novell sometime, either going to Windows 2000 or maybe Solaris x86. Of course, now that I look at, it seems like we should buy a new server. Oh well.
So if we go with gigabit over copper, I see two choice for NICs:
Intel 1000T
3com 3c996-T
According to the online docs, it looks like the Intel NIC will work in the 32-bit/33Mhz PCI slots the server has. The 3com says it needs a PCI 2.2 compliant server, which ours isn't. But will it work anyways? That's one issue I'm confused on. If it won't, we can go Intel.
So in a nutshell, should we go with GigE over Cu? If so, which NIC?
Thanks