Thick Ethernet, or 10Base-5, was an early networking hardware connecting devices over a computer network. It has been largely replaced by faster, more flexible cables but remains useful for long-distance capabilities and as a backbone for networking. Thick Ethernet was invented by Robert Metcalf and became a commonly used product, but its inflexibility and potential for total system failure have led to its decline.
Thick Ethernet, also called 10Base-5, thicknet, or yellow Ethernet, is an early form of networking hardware, designed to connect two or more devices together over a computer network. While thicknet was the original standard for networking, it has since fallen out of favor. The development of faster, more flexible Ethernet cables has made it largely obsolete, but it still has some utility due to its long-distance capabilities.
Ethernet technology was developed in the early 1970s at Xerox PARC, but the idea was thought to be a failure. In 1976, after successfully demonstrating the capabilities of thick Ethernet, one of the inventors, Robert Metcalf, convinced three major companies to adopt Ethernet technology as the standard for networking. Thick Ethernet became a commonly used networking product, and Metcalf’s new company, 3Com, went on to become a global success.
The cable works like a bus route map, with a single coaxial cable linking network devices together. Each device or node is connected via a cable to a transceiver, which plugs directly into the Ethernet cable. The Ethernet cable is extremely sturdy, if a little inflexible, keeping it well protected from external damage.
One advantage of thicknet is that it can stretch long distances. A single yellow Ethernet cable can reach a maximum length of 1650 meters (500 feet). This also allows 225 individual nodes to connect to Ethernet, although the devices must be spaced at least 8.25 meters (2.5 feet) apart.
Thicknet is advantageous in that its heavy jacket insulates the connection, not only from external damage, but also from electronic interference, a problem with some thinner cables. It’s also an extremely simple means of building a network, as the single cable makes the whole system easy to design. Its long length can be useful to anyone building a large network.
Problems with thicknet have caused many new forms of Ethernet to be outdated. The inflexibility of the cable makes it difficult to move or change the location of network devices. Thick Ethernet also struggles when it comes to nodes powered from different sources. The voltage difference can cause a potentially harmful loop of an electric current. This problem is common with thick Ethernet, and newer technology has largely solved the problem.
Perhaps the biggest problem with thick Ethernet is that the simple interconnect process leaves the door open to total system failure. If any part of the cable or a node fails, the whole network could go down. This perhaps more than any other reason has led to the reduction in the use of thick Ethernet.
In modern applications, however, the thicknet has found new use as the backbone for networking. By connecting several small separate networks via 10 Base-T hubs, yellow Ethernet can create one giant network. In this way, thick Ethernet remains a common utility in networking practices, thirty years after its creation.
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