The illustration at right shows a simple
More complex topologies with more than one fiber optic link are also possible, as shown below. Although any fiber link may be up to 2000 meters long, the maximum network
and devices. In the system shown here, Fiber Link A and Fiber Link B can individually be up
to 2000 meters, but the total of their lengths should also be 2000 meters or less; For ex- ample, Fiber Link A could be 1500 meters, while B would be up to 500 meters; the UTP cabling length will also require adjustments
in the maximum lengths.
Likewise, the other network topologies described here earlier can be upgraded with optical fiber. This can be done with media conversion on individual network segments, as shown here, or by using fiber to interconnect hubs (illustrated on the following page), or combinations thereof.
*Although any
one fiber
segment
can be
up
to
2000
meters long, and
any single UTP segment can be up to 100 meters long, it may be necessary
to
impose
shorter limits,
in
consideration of cumulative delays caused by devices and cabling. See text for more information.
NETWORK LIMITATIONS
There are more possible combinations than can be shown in this or any book, and as long as they are compatible with 100baseTX Fast Ethernet standards, they will work with RAVE units. Keep in mind, though, that every hub, length of cabling, media converter, etc., delays the data passing through it by a small amount, and adding these to the system adds to the total delay time. CobraNet has a certain advantage over regular Fast Ethernet, however,
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