C H A P T E R | 3 | Physical Configuration Guidelines |
100BASE-T Switched LAN
Integrating switching into the network enables network microsegmentation, which increases the total capacity and performance of the network. You can add 100 Mbps workgroups to the network and connect them to individual ports on the switch. For those networks that still support 10BASE-T workstations, an Ethernet switching hub provides configurable ports for 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps connections. When a port is configured to operate at 10 Mbps, the workstations running applications across 10 Mbps links can access centralized servers through the switching hub.
Here is how the 100BASE-T Hub in the wiring closet interfaces with a switching hub in the mid-tier network center to increase the total capacity and performance of an entire network.
| | 100 Mb/s | | |
Mid-tier network center | | fiber link (port 1) Stack of | | |
| 100BASE-T hubs | | |
System 5000 hub | 100 m | |
| | |
| | • | • | 100BASE-T |
| | • |
| • | • | • | engineering |
| • | | • | workgroup |
| • | | |
| 10BASE-T | | | Legend |
| workstations | | |
| | | 10 Mb/s UTP |
| | | |
100BASE-TX | Stack of | | 100 Mb/s UTP |
switching hub | | 100 Mb/s fiber |
1 m | | 100BASE-T hubs | |
| | |
Servers | | | | 100BASE-T |
with 100 Mb/s | | • | • | administrative |
adapters | Router | • | workgroup |
| • |
transceiver | | | | |
| | | | 5877.1 |
100BASE-T switched LAN
As you can see, two groups of 100 Mbps workstations are connected to two separate repeaters in the wiring closet. The 100BASE-T Hubs can be stacked to provide multiple ports per repeater. This network shows two repeater stacks that support individual workgroups.
A100BASE-FX media adapter is installed in the 100BASE-T Hub and allows you to connect a repeater or repeater stack to the switching hub through a 100 Mbps fiber link. Two servers equipped with 100 Mbps adapter cards and a router equipped with a 100BASE-T interface are also located in the network center to provide centralized services to workstations that are operating at 100 Mbps and 10 Mbps. Users with 10 Mbps workstations are connected to a System 5000 hub that is also located in the mid-tier network center.