From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Fri Sep 14 07:06:58 2007 Return-Path: Delivered-To: questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id E46D216A420 for ; Fri, 14 Sep 2007 07:06:58 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from iaccounts@ibctech.ca) Received: from pearl.ibctech.ca (pearl.ibctech.ca [208.70.104.210]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 7E88613C457 for ; Fri, 14 Sep 2007 07:06:58 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from iaccounts@ibctech.ca) Received: (qmail 47822 invoked by uid 1002); 14 Sep 2007 07:06:57 -0000 Received: from iaccounts@ibctech.ca by pearl.ibctech.ca by uid 89 with qmail-scanner-1.22 (spamassassin: 2.64. Clear:RC:1(208.70.104.100):. Processed in 15.801073 secs); 14 Sep 2007 07:06:57 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO ?192.168.30.110?) (steve@ibctech.ca@208.70.104.100) by pearl.ibctech.ca with (DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA encrypted) SMTP; 14 Sep 2007 07:06:41 -0000 Message-ID: <46EA3309.3040404@ibctech.ca> Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2007 03:06:49 -0400 From: Steve Bertrand User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.6 (Windows/20070728) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Subhro Kar References: <46EA192E.7030807@gmail.com> <46EA2955.5050802@gmail.com> In-Reply-To: <46EA2955.5050802@gmail.com> X-Enigmail-Version: 0.95.3 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Cc: questions@freebsd.org, Oliver Hansen Subject: Re: Good FreeBSD Supported Gigabit Ethernet Card? 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, 14 Sep 2007 07:06:59 -0000 OP said: >> The use will probably be a firewall, proxy, file server, and >> DVR. > No offence meant, but why would you like to upgrade a "home" network to > Gbit? Is it required at all? Say for instance you have three 'items' on your home network trying to communicate with a central box on your 'home' LAN, and said LAN was operating on 100Mpbs NIC's. The 'home server' is also on a 100Mbps NIC. That gives the home server a theoretical up/down throughput at 200Mpbs. If all three items at home are trying to connect with/through this central box simultaneously, then you now have theoretically 600Mpbs in/out all at the same time. The central server can't handle this, nor can any 10/100 layer-2 equipment in between. Upgrade all the NIC's in all the items on the home network to GigE, throw in a GigE switch, and now you can see how you just cut open the garden hose and now have a small river. Even on the smallest of networks, if you've ever tried to transfer multiple-gigabyte files across it, you will very quickly appreciate the exponential transfer rate when it comes to the relatively cheap 'upgrade' to GigE equipment in the home. Just make sure you're not still using that old Cat3 cable ;) Steve