Bernhard Kuemel wrote in a message to All:
 BK> I have never heard of or seen optical fiber networks in
 BK> small environments where usually something like ethernet is
 BK> used. Why? Is it that expensive? I wouldn't think so. And it
 BK> could be as flexible as 10base2 if there were 2 connectors
 BK> on each card and this way there would be no distance limit.
This does exist, but there is demand for it only in limited situations.  The 
most common need for non-FDDI fiber is in factories where electrical noise 
from inductive or magentic machinery may cause inteference to the network, or 
sometimes in medical or laboratory facilities where an electrical network may 
cause interference to sensitive instrumentation.
Where distance is the main issue, a fiber link between clusters of machines 
is a more economical approach.
 BK> Or are there already cheap solutions? How much do they cost, 
 BK> where can I get them and how good are they?
There are two commonly used non-FDDI fiber systems, in addition to a number 
of oddball or proprietary systems.  The rough equivalent to 10Base-T is 
called "10Base-FL," and the rough equivalent to 100Base-TX is called 
"100Base-FX."
The cost of fiber is much higher than for copper.  A fiber NIC will cost at 
least US$200 for 10Base-FL and US$350 for 100Base-FX, and this is only the 
beginning.  A simple 8-port 10Base-FL concentrator is about US$1500.
Fiber connectors are extremely expensive and hard to make up in the field. 
Each connector costs about US$20 and fiber itself may cost as much as US$5 
per meter, so a simple 1 m patch cord will cost as much as US$50.
For obvious reasons, no one uses fiber at these speeds if they have a choice.
 
-- Mike
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