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From: smb@ulysses.att.com (Steven Bellovin)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re: How is UTP fault-tolerant?
Keywords: UNIX Today, James Gaskin
Message-ID: <14850@ulysses.att.com>
Date: 21 May 91 17:33:35 GMT
Article-I.D.: ulysses.14850
References: <1991May20.133442.1309@banana.fedex.com>
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In article <1991May20.133442.1309@banana.fedex.com>, bill@banana.fedex.com (bill daniels) writes:
> 
> The column dealt with unshielded twisted pair, concentrators and
> other UTP-oriented devices.  Would someone please explain how UTP
> and concentrators enable one to establish a more reliable net?  This
> was all news to me.

If a conventional or thinwire coax is opened or shorted -- to add
a new transceiver, or because you want to reroute or extend the
cable, or because some electricians decided it was in the way but
that they could easily cut it and resplice it with black tape
later, you lose your whole net.  With UTP, everything is a ``home
run''; a problem on one segment affects only that segment.

Of course, a problem with the hub takes our your whole net, but that's
often easier to find and fix than a cable problem.