An optical fiber with a larger core than singlemode fiber. It is the most commonly used fiber for short distances such as LANs. Light can enter the core at different angles, making it easier to connect the light source to broader light sources such as LEDs. However, light rays travel down multiple reflective paths (modes) in multimode fiber, causing modal dispersion, which is a broadening of the pulses at the receiving end. Contrast with singlemode fiber. See graded-index fiber, dispersion and fiber optics glossary.
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Transformation of the Enterprise Network Using Passive Optical LAN
- The rapid growth of bandwidth requirements and the changing role of enterprise networking are causing disruptive change in the enterprise Local Area Network LAN. Incumbent vendors are recommending upgrading Ethernet switches to 10 Giga-bit Ethernet GbE uplinks which typically require single-mode rather than multimode fiber optic cable and replacement of...
- White papers 2009-05-01
- Limitations of Transmission Distances Over Multimode Fiber
- Multimode fiber simply refers to the fact that numerous modes or light rays are carried simultaneously through the waveguide. One key characteristic of a multimode fiber is its modal bandwidth. It represents the capacity of a fiber to transmit a certain amount of information over a certain distance and is...
- White papers 2008-04-01
- EtherChannel Between a Cisco Catalyst Switch That Runs Cisco IOS and a Workstation or Server Configuration Example
- EtherChannel allows multiple physical Ethernet links to combine into one logical channel, which allows the links in the channel to share traffic load, as well as redundancy in the event that one or more links in the channel fail. One can use EtherChannel to interconnect LAN switches, routers, servers, and...
- White papers 2007-08-09
- Understanding EtherChannel Load Balancing and Redundancy on Catalyst Switches
- Fast EtherChannel allows multiple physical Fast Ethernet links to combine into one logical channel. This allows load sharing of traffic among the links in the channel as well as redundancy in the event that one or more links in the channel fail. Fast EtherChannel can be used to interconnect LAN...
- White papers 2007-07-09
- Hey, fiber's pretty cheap!
- As we continue to engineer our tech refresh at my high school, were looking at a variety of ways to improve our infrastructure as well. In particular, because we are installing thin clients in three different labs, fiber backbones come to mind. Most of our cabling is Cat...
- Blog posts 2007-02-08
- Cee? a Friday pop quiz!
- Cee? a Friday pop quiz!Isn't life grand?Those researchers who broke the terrahertz barrier should celebrate! Yes, they should plan a party. Go to the store, pick up a case of beer and catch a cab. OOoops the hack is a muslum and will not transport you with your alcohol! You...
- Discussion threads 2007-01-26
- Building the home network of your dreams
- Building the home network of your dreamsHouse buildingWhen I had my house built, I purchased a 1000' roll of CAT 3 wire it was a few years ago, and the builder gave me ONE DAY to do what I needed to do to wire up the place. I ran 2...
- Discussion threads 2005-06-16
- Performance Evaluation of Single-Mode and Multimode Fiber in LAN Environment
- Optical networks are high capacity networks that meet the rapidly growing demand for bandwidth in the terrestrial telecommunications industry. This paper studies and evaluates single-mode and multimode fiber transmission by varying the distance. It focuses on their performance in LAN environment. This is achieved by observing the pulse spreading and...
- White papers 2005-06-01
- The reality of Grid computing
- David Berlind did this excellent interview with Wolfgang Gentzsch, who is one of the pioneers of grid technology,anddispels some of the myths of grid computing. In the past, I've tried to dispel some of the grid mystique myself but it's been a challenge to get the point across. Now, even...
- Blog posts 2005-02-14
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