Re: Bandwidth depends on Device interfaces rather then physical

Irfan Sid @ 4/8/2011 6:32 -0300 dixit:
> Is it true to say that bandwidth depends on the device interfaces rather
> then the medium (copper or fibre) itself.

No, it depends on both, like the amount of water that you get depends on
the tap and on the hose size.

> For example. A 1 Gig interface will transmit at 1gig over Copper. A 10mb
> interface will transmit at 10mb over the same copper medium.

Only if that copper is Cat5, and short enough.
You can get 10Mb over almost 200Mts. I don't think that you can achieve
this on GigE.

> The medium - copper will transmit at the speed of light. But its the
> interface which determines how much bandwidth is put onto the meduim.

When we talk "speeds" we are not referring to usual travel speed,
but to serialization speed, i.e., how fast you can insert data...

> So if you wanted to calculate the bandwidth from one end to the other, the
> least speed (bandwidth) interface will be the end to end bandwidth

If the medium serves, and the interfaces are able to talk to each other
in a common protocol, I would say yes. But those "ifs" are not to be
taken for granted!

> Is this true and are there any other factors?

Interfaces (inc. protocols), medium type, distance. Guess that is it.

-Carlos

-- 
Carlos G Mendioroz  <tron_at_huapi.ba.ar>  LW7 EQI  Argentina
Blogs and organic groups at http://www.ccie.net