When a node is upgraded to 100 Mbps 100BASE-TX, the switch automatically adapts to the higher speed. The process can be also done in reverse. When the hubs or switches are upgraded to 100 Mbps, the end nodes automatically take advantage of the higher bandwidth. As in the case of twisted pair, backwards compatibility and Auto-Negotiation allow an incremental migration to higher speed networks and extend the useful lifetime of legacy networking equipment. . Compatibility with Twisted Pair Twisted pair is by far the dominant horizontal cabling technology and will remain so for the near term, even if the fiber to the desktop market doubles every year, it will take it more than six years to have a comparable installed base.
Media converters offer a partial solution to the problem.
For example, it allows a 100Mbps twisted pair switch to become a 100 Mbps fiber switch on a port by port basis. During the next few years, until fiber becomes the media of choice, media conversion will be the mainstream solution for providing fiber connectivity in a twisted-pair dominated environment. When the existing fiber standards were written, there was little market demand for fiber in the horizontal. However, as speeds and expectations have increased, network managers have been confronted with an installed copper network that is not capable of supporting the desired speeds. Due to its inherent bandwidth and immunity to interference, optical fiber is the obvious choice for this new network.