Although we don't know of any devices that bring fiber optics into the
Macintosh (for example, a fiber optics NuBus card), there are numerous
companies that offer Ethernet-, Token Ring-, and LocalTalk-to-Fiber Optics
transceivers. So a network could look like:
Macintosh<-->LocalTalk<-->transceiver<-->fiber<-->transceiver<-->
EtherTalk<-->Macintosh
Just a few of the companies offering such products are Berg Electronics
(formerly DuPont Electronics), Network Resources Corporation, and SynOptics.
Other similar devices are readily available from network-product suppliers like
Black Box Corp. Routing AppleTalk over that medium is not a problem.
Additional information on these companies can be found in the Technical Info
Library.
A significant number of corporations, universities, and government agencies are
using (or experimenting with and preparing to use) fiber to some degree. For
information on established networks with particular characteristics, contact
the vendors of the products you are considering.
Article Change History:
27 July 1993 - Company title changed from DuPont Electronics to Berg
Electronics.