> I suppose an ethernet port might go bad if it gets hit by lightning but I've never had a mobo ethernet go bad in my life.
Been there, record thunderstorm centered directly above a client's building. Several switch and mobo ports died. The fact that said client "saved" on cabling by running UTP between buildings probably had something to do with it.
Well, I probably don't have to tell people to never run copper between buildings. Always run fiber. The longer the runs, the higher the common mode voltage between grounds and the higher the stress on the isolation circuitry. Plus lightning strikes don't have to hit the cable directly, they can pull up the ground for the whole building and suddenly instead of having 200V of common mode you have 4000V for a few milliseconds.
Anyone who has ever wired up a T1 in the basement of a highrise knows what I mean.
Been there, record thunderstorm centered directly above a client's building. Several switch and mobo ports died. The fact that said client "saved" on cabling by running UTP between buildings probably had something to do with it.