Benefits of GBIC in 10/100 3550 Switch

[rcarter1977]

Can someone tell me if there is really a benefit in connecting 2 Cisco 3550 switches with Fiber GBIC Modules versus connecting them via CAT 5e or CAT 7 cable? The 3550's are 10/100 ports with optional GBIC slots and I need to know what will be the best method.

[dgahm]

The only performance difference between the copper -T GBIC and fiber -SX GBIC would be the distance limitation. You can run 100 meters for copper and 550 meters for fiber. Copper would be cheaper if the switches are close enough.

If you are asking about gigabit versus 100mb, it really depends on your traffic. If you anticipate more than 100mb/s between switches then you need gb.

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[rcarter1977]

Actually my question was this: Would the performance be much better if I connect 2 3550's together with the GBIC module Fiber or using CAT 5e/7 in the regular 10/100 port ?

Since the switch communicates with the nodes at 10/100. Would it make a real difference by connecting the switches with CAT 5e plugged into one of the 10/100 ports?

I wasnt clear in first post, I am not asking about difference using CAT 5e GBIC module and Fiber GBIC module.

Thanks alot,

[dgahm]

In a switched topology, unlike a hub, many simultaneous port to port traffic flows can run at full wire speed. So with 2 switches connected with a gig link it is possible to use all the bandwidth on the link.

So it depends on the usage of the hosts connected to the 2 switches. If you have servers transferring big files, or power users that need lots of bandwidth then go with gig.

If you have a bunch of Citrix thin clients, or if all the traffic goes through a WAN link at a slower speed, then 100mb would be fine.

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