In This Issue:Cisco 2960-X Series 24 Port Lan Lite Switch | What is Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing Technology? | News to Start Your Day
Happy Monday and Happy National Scavenger Hunt Day! Today is a great day to adventure out and find random items all in the name of good fun. What’s one of the most exciting things you’ve found on a grand scavenger hunt? We’d love to hear about it!
The CK Daily – Healing Power of Water
Happy, Happy Monday, CK Fam!!
From anywhere in the midwest to the east coast, the last few days and upcoming week are providing some very hot weather. Many of us wish away the cold weather in the winter, get about 2-3 weeks of nice 60s-70s and then it becomes scorched plains 80s and 90s with high humidity and we begin to wish away the heat. Personally, I love having the four seasons and fluctuating weather, always trying to turn lemons into lemonade on those rough weather days.
When it gets very hot, like it was this weekend and upcoming week will be – I always try to remind myself of the healing power of water. This USA Today article really sums it up well:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2017/11/13/blue-mind/857903001/
Being in, on, near, or under water benefits the mind and body. So on these scorching days, get to a body of water, a river, lake, pond, pool, or beach- and give yourself the mental or physically break (or both) you need to reset.
Have a blessed and wonderful Monday,
Corey
Product Spotlights & Updates:
Happy Monday! Today we are spotlighting the Cisco 2960-X Series 24 Port Lan Lite Switch, WS-C2960X-24TS-LL and it’s 15% off this week! This beast of a switch has 24 ports with two 1 Gig SFP ports with LAN Lite software.
Cisco has always done an amazing job with catering to small and medium-sized business. The Cisco 2960-X series is another generation that was added to the already popular 2960 and 2960S series that will enable the typical small to medium-sized business to function at an enterprise level without the enterprise budget. The 2960-X series switches offer a fixed configuration of Ethernet switches that are not only Gigabit, but also stackable in most cases. The 2960-X was specifically designed for easy deployment and operational efficiency. These switches are also energy cautious and have a large range of IOS software features.
Within the 2960-X family, the switches come in either 24 or 48 variations and have gigabit Small Form Factor (SFP) or 10G SFP+ uplinks. Each switch is equipped with FlexStack Plus. This enables the switch to be stacked up to eight switches and can produce 80 Gbps of stack throughput. Along with stacking, each unit will feature USB and Ethernet managed interfaces, LAN Base or LAN Lite, and energy management features. Power over Ethernet Plus (PoE+) is available on most models.
Switching capacity on the 2960-X series come in twenty-two percent higher than the 2960-S units as they have a total capacity of 216 Gbps. Each switch will offer either two 10 gig uplinks or four 1 gig uplinks and zero-touch configuration as well as IOS software updates when you are deploying the 2960-X switch.
What is Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing Technology? – CK Learning Center
No matter what kind of network you maintain, you always have the same demands: more speed, less cost, and larger capacity. For any network with heavy demands on data and/or distance, this always results in implementing fiber optics. This is technology that grows and shifts every day, and it can be exhausting to stay on top of the mountains of information out there. To help with that, a few simple explanations of popular fiber optic tech can make your life a lot easier. In that effort, today’s lesson is on CWDM technology. It’s one of several fiber optic cable choices, and it can fill many roles.
What Is CWDM?
The acronym stands for Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing. As the name states, it is a form of multiplexed fiber optics, so CWDM networks can send simultaneous, two-way communication. The term “coarse” refers to the wavelength spacing between channels. CWDM utilizes laser signals that differ in increments of 20 nm. A total of 18 different channels are available — with a wavelength range from 1610 nm to 1270 nm — and 8 can be utilized in a single system. Since each channel is capable of data rates of 3.125 Gbps, the aggregate ability is 10 Gbps for any CWDM cable.
Sometimes, it’s easier to understand the value of a piece of technology by comparing it to alternatives. In wavelength division multiplexing, DWDM (Dense WDM) is the other popular choice. DWDM has a wavelength spacing of 0.4 nm. That enables a denser packing of signals (hence the name) and can produce much higher data rates — up to 100 Gbps. The primary difference between CWDM and DWDM is that chromatic spacing. While DWDM can send and receive more information, the smaller differences reduce the tolerance of the signal and require far more precision in the laser design. This is why DWDM is much costlier per foot of cable than DWDM.
Where Is CWDM Best Used?
With high data rates, a low cost and good transmission range (up to 60 km), CWDM shines in many instances. It’s best at city-level applications. Many broadband internet providers build the bulk of their infrastructure on CWDM lines. Large campuses and data centers also benefit from integrating CWDM.
One of the often overlooked advantages of coarse WDM is its compatibility with both GBIC and SFP connections. This makes it ideal for upgrading legacy systems that still use the older interface.
To summarize, CWDM is ideal for fast and long networks that don’t need more expensive speeds. It’s also ideal for a gradual upgrade of older systems.
The most important thing to remember is that you never have to marry a cable choice. Networks are living animals, and you’ll always find various niches within the design. CWDM can be your flexible line that keeps your options open, but you can still utilize other cable designs where the need arises.
Today’s News to Start Your Day:
- As of this morning, in the US, active COVID cases are on a decline and are reported at 5,790,408.
- Covid cases in the U.S. have dropped to their lowest level in nearly a year, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The declining cases come as many Americans plan to travel, spend days at the beach and gather with friends and family over the summer.
- NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover took this 360-degree panoramawhile atop “Mont Mercou,” a rock formation that offered a view into Gale Crater below. The panorama is stitched together from 132 individual images taken on April 15, 2021, the 3,090th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The panorama has been white-balanced so that the colors of the rock materials resemble how they would appear under daytime lighting conditions on Earth.
- Phil Mickelson, 50, wins the PGA Championship to become the oldest major champion in golf history.
- Virgin Galactic took a step closer to completing development of its space tourism system on Saturday, successfully flying its first spaceflight in more than two years. The company’s spacecraft, named VSS Unity, was carried up to an altitude of about 44,000 feet by a carrier aircraft called VMS Eve. The aircraft then released the spacecraft, which fired its rocket engine and accelerated to more than three times the speed of sound.