From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Fri Jul 17 08:02:08 2009 Return-Path: Delivered-To: FreeBSD-Questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id DEF181065670 for ; Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:02:08 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from perryh@pluto.rain.com) Received: from agora.rdrop.com (unknown [IPv6:2607:f678:1010::34]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id B97D88FC22 for ; Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:02:08 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from perryh@pluto.rain.com) Received: from agora.rdrop.com (66@localhost [127.0.0.1]) by agora.rdrop.com (8.13.1/8.12.7) with ESMTP id n6H8282l055956 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=NOT); Fri, 17 Jul 2009 01:02:08 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from perryh@pluto.rain.com) Received: (from uucp@localhost) by agora.rdrop.com (8.13.1/8.12.9/Submit) with UUCP id n6H828YZ055955; Fri, 17 Jul 2009 01:02:08 -0700 (PDT) Received: from fbsd61 by pluto.rain.com (4.1/SMI-4.1-pluto-M2060407) id AA00816; Fri, 17 Jul 09 00:50:34 PDT Date: Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:47:57 -0700 From: perryh@pluto.rain.com To: dkelly@hiwaay.net Message-Id: <4a602cad.8BLh4Iukknk6sHl6%perryh@pluto.rain.com> References: <20090715194718.GA16401@Grumpy.DynDNS.org> In-Reply-To: <20090715194718.GA16401@Grumpy.DynDNS.org> User-Agent: nail 11.25 7/29/05 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Cc: FreeBSD-Questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: 5000' ethernet? X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:02:09 -0000 David Kelly wrote: > Not directly FreeBSD related, but how much of a chance is there > that two machines could communicate directly over 5,000 feet of > cat5 with no special hardware? After reading (at least most of) the discussion that has arisen from this, I've had another thought which would use the wire already ordered -- although it does involve "special hardware". Maybe you could set up what would amount to your own two-point telco: Option 1: Put a T1 frame-relay box at each end. I don't know how far a T1 can run without a booster of some sort, but I'd think it must be more than a mile or it would not have been commercially feasible. Option 2: Put an ordinary DSL modem at one end and a DSLAM at the other end. Again I'm not sure what the range is, but DSL used to be referred to as the solution for "the last mile" from the telco to the customer so it may be up to the job. AFAIK neither of these really needs the signal quality of Cat 5 -- they both should work just fine over Cat 3 -- but surely the higher grade wire can't hurt (and it may increase the usable DSL distance).