Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!lll-winken!ames!amdcad!pepsi!ching From: ching@pepsi.amd.com (Mike Ching) Newsgroups: comp.arch Subject: Re: Fiber channels (was Re: The Killer Micro From Hell) Message-ID: <28795@amdcad.AMD.COM> Date: 14 Jan 90 20:22:32 GMT References: <34030@mips.mips.COM> <4322@nttmhs.ntt.JP> <39807@ames.arc.nasa.gov> <3101@umn-d-ub.D.UMN.EDU> <40043@ames.arc.nasa.gov> <47800@sgi.sgi.com> <94@zds-ux.UUCP> <28758@amdcad.AMD.COM> Sender: news@amdcad.AMD.COM Reply-To: ching@pepsi.AMD.COM (Mike Ching) Organization: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Sunnyvale CA Lines: 22 In article emv@math.lsa.umich.edu (Edward Vielmetti) writes: -In article <28758@amdcad.AMD.COM> ching@snap.amd.com (Mike Ching) writes: - - At AMD we have toyed with the idea of building a SCSI cable using our TAXI - transceivers (32-140Mbit serial data rate) and fiber. We estimated that the - cable would probably cost $75. I suppose a large market would drive the cost - down. - -Mike, SCSI cables (q1) are already in the $75 range if they're relatively -scarce and hard to make yourself (i.e. sparcstation cables). You'd -have no problem with the cost. Now how far would you be able to -get the drive away from the workstation? I was a bit careless. The $75 is component cost. Retail would be 2-3x that? You could send data over 2 kilometers using fiber. Using copper would make the component cost $40 and the distance 30-100 meters depending on the quality of the coax. Anyway we decided that the low demand for differential SCSI meant it wouldn't have wide appeal either. (BTW, we weren't trying to build these. Just considering it for an application note for the chips. Our business is ICs.) Mike Ching