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Copper vs. Fiber: A Typical Airborne Application

Airborne applications were among the first to adopt the fiber-optic-based design. In such an environment, weight, reliability, and immunity from electromagnetic interference (EMI) are critical concerns. And given the use of airborne platforms in graphics- and processing-intensive Command, Control,

Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C3ISR) functions, any enclosure must be designed to support extremely high-performance computing.
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Within each enclosure are multiple blades and rear transition modules (RTMs), most with internal I/O that must be externalized via connectors on the chassis. Of course, separate enclosures must be cabled to one another as well.

Counting the within-chassis cabling (approx. 2 ft.), the between-chassis cabling (approx. 20 ft.), and all external connectors as “cabling,” and focusing on the comparison of 1 Gigabit Ethernet over copper versus fiber, results in some interesting points of comparison between the two.

The cables under comparison consist of single-mode, loose-structure, pull-proof optical fiber that will support 12 Ethernet connections versus copper Quadrax, supporting six Ethernet connections.

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