Connecting different 3com Switches through Fiber

[rotaman]

Hello all,

I'm trying to connect the following products through fiber (apart from the 3C17206 which does not have fiber capabilities). How would i go about doing this? What would be the downside of using the alternative 1000BASET to connect them instead of fiber?

3C17706-US: 12 autosensing 10/100/1000 ports;
6 fixed 1000BASE-SX ports
6 GBIC ports accommodating 1000BASE-SX, 1000BASE-LX, or 1000BASE-LH70 GBICs
1 expansion slot

3CR17402-91 48 autosensing 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX/1000BASE-T ports (four of which are dual-purposed with the SFP slots);
4 SFP slots accommodating 1000BASE-SX, 1000BASE-LX and 1000BASE-LH SPFs (SFPs sold separately);
console port

3C17206 24 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX configured as automatic MDIX;
2 module slots accommodating media modules or stacking modules;
expandable to 192 ports

Thanks!

 

[lambent]

It really depends on the distance between these devices and the electromagnetic interference around the device.

multi-mode/single-mode fibers have longer cable distance limitation and it's not subject to the effect of EM interference, but you should be aware of not bending the fiber cables too much.

UTP CAT5e or CAT6 cables have shorter cable distance limitation and suffer to EM interference, but it can withstand a larger degree of bending.

 

[rotaman]

Lambert,

These switches are on three different floors, so cabling shouldn't be an issue. What is an issue is that these switches don't have the same fiber modules. GBICS on the first, SFPs on the second. How am i supposed to connect these together??

 

[lambent]

There are LC-to-SC fiber cables....(LC head for SFP, SC head for GBICS).

Or if you use ST head fiber patch panel, then LC-ST, SC-ST cables.

 

[rotaman]

Great, that's what i thought. I have not been able to find any though... I'll have a look around..

Thanks!

 

[rotaman]

OK, can someone tell me if this could work:

Solution possible pour interconnecter les trois switches si dessus:

place a GBIC (like a WS-G5484) in the 3C17706, and place a miniGBIC (like a GLC-SX-MM) in the 3CR17402-91.
Connect those two through a LC-SC fiber patch cable.
For the third switch (3C17206), I have to add a 3C17221 module, which i could then connect to the 3C17706 through an MTRJ-MTRJ fiber cable.

Would this work?