Sonnet Technologies has announced the Twin 10G Thunderbolt 2 to Dual-Port Copper 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) Adapter, a near-plug-and-play solution for adding lightning-fast 10GbE network connectivity to any computer with Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt ports.
Featuring 20Gbps Thunderbolt 2 technology, the Twin 10G enables users to connect to high-speed infrastructure and storage systems using the 10GbE standard — offering up to 10 times the performance of Gigabit Ethernet, the common wired network connection included with most computers today. Support for Wake-on-LAN and other advanced features make this Sonnet adapter suitable for use in a variety of workflows and environments.
“As prices for 10GbE infrastructure continue to drop, data centers and many other businesses are increasingly adopting this fast standard for wired networking and specialized applications, such as HD video editing using high-performance shared storage systems. Yet few computers offer a 10GbE interface,” said Robert Farnsworth, CEO of Sonnet Technologies. “Our new Twin 10G dual-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet Thunderbolt 2 adapter provides users with a powerfully simple and cost-effective way to add fast 10GbE connectivity to their notebooks, laptops, or desktops.”
Thunderbolt-certified for Mac® and Windows®, Sonnet’s Twin 10G is equipped with two RJ45 and two Thunderbolt 2 ports. Using RJ45 connectors, the Twin 10G is able to connect to 10 Gigabit infrastructure via inexpensive CAT-6 or CAT-6A copper cabling at distances up to 55 or 100 meters, respectively. Through one of its two Thunderbolt 2 ports, the Twin 10G connects to the computer through an included Thunderbolt cable; the second Thunderbolt port supports daisy chaining up to six devices.
The Twin 10G is a striking example of “form following function.” The adapter’s sleek and rugged aluminum housing effectively dissipates heat, and a temperature-tuned, ultra-quiet fan to cool the components inside enables the Twin 10G to be used comfortably in noise-sensitive environments. The Twin 10G can easily be mounted inside Sonnet’s xMac™ Pro Thunderbolt 2-to-PCIe® card expansion system and rackmount enclosure for the new Mac Pro®, as well as the RackMac™ Pro rackmount enclosure for the new Mac Pro.
The Twin 10G offers easy setup and several advanced features. Link aggregation (teaming) of its two 10GbE ports increases throughput beyond what a single connection can sustain. Transparent failover between 10GbE ports keeps the computer connected in case a single cable is disconnected or one of the ports fails. Wake-on-LAN support enables users to remote wake the attached computer when needed, without otherwise wasting energy. The Sonnet adapter is configured through the OS X® Network control panel or Windows Device Manager.
The Twin 10G (part number TWIN10G-TB2) will be available in October 2014 for $599 USD.
