As the IT trend is directed to E-Commerce, M-Commerce, Web Portal and etc, the back end processing is far more complicated and substantial than last decade. Two-tier client server model is retiring and instead multi-tier model has become the dominant model. Therefore, the processing is shifted to the application servers, Web servers and database servers. For more information about thin client or multi-tier client server system, please refer to my previous publications in this blog.
Right back to 2000, we started using 1000 mega bit switch. We have always focused on the infrastructure. The bad infrastructure would hinder the performance of good systems and applications. On the contrary, the good infrastructure would lighten the problems of the bad systems and applications. For example, if an application is coded badly and inefficiently, it will still run reasonably fast on a high speed network.
Within the Office, we are now running 1000BASE-T gigabit Ethernet with very high quality network cable which is category 5E or 6 Shielded Twisted Pair (STP). Certainly, we can see the return from the luxury infrastructure due to the high data rate and good transmission qualities. So far I can see our network is much more stable. In the past, (around 10 years ago) we were running Fast Ethernet network (i.e. 100BASE-T) and the 10/100 Ethernet dump hub could not stabiles the network traffic. Whenever one connection was malfunctioning due to various reasons, it would affect the operation of all other connections on the same hub. But now I do not really come across this situation again. Basically our network is very stable and we are planning to move forward to 10 gigabit network as long as the technology is mature. Of course, we won’t extend it to every workstation. Amul (2006) claims that 10G Ethernet will increase the capacity of the network back bone through eliminating a few elements required run TCP/IP and Data traffic over an infrastructure originally designed to transport voice. This will definitely benefit the ISPs. How about us? I would say “Yes” to this question. Even though we are not an ISP and not adopting IP phone system, it will still ease the high volume of data traffic among the servers. Hence, it would drop the response time and latency of user requests. This will be very effective to heavy backend processing systems.
The decentralisation of computing power has been the IT trend in this decade and the mobile technologies are moving into a super highway. The first third-generation (3G) wireless phone was launched by NTT DoCoMo in Tokyo on 1 October 2001. At that time, the 3G service was only confined to within Tokyo National Route 16, a 30 km radius from central Tokyo (Purvis 2001). But 6 years later, NTT DoCoMo has developed Super 3G cellular system which can transmit data at 300 mbps at most and is pursuing 3.5G and future fourth-generation (4G) systems (Williams 2007). I will go further about this issue tomorrow.
To be continued
References
Amul 2006, ‘10 Gigabit Ethernet’, Network World, viewed 5 September 2007, <http://www.networkworld.com/details/460.html>.
Hammond, S 2007, ‘Consumer tech in the enterprise space’, Computerworld Hong Kong Daily, posted 1 August 2007, viewed 18 August 2007, <http://www.cw.com.hk/computerworldhk/content/printContentPopup.jsp?id=447180 >.
Purvis J 2001, ‘World's first 3G launch on 1st October severely restricted’, International Market News, posted 4 October 2001, Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Tokyo, viewed 1 September 2007, <http://www.tdctrade.com/imn/01100401/info14.htm>.
Williams, M 2007, 'NTT DoCoMo targets 300M bps in Super 3G experiment', Computerworld Hong Kong Daily, posted 13 July 2007, Tokyo, viewed 18 August 2007, <http://www.cw.com.hk/computerworldhk/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=441398>.
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