About Fast Ethernet

Fast Ethernet is a network technology specified by IEEE Standard 802.3u. It extends the traditional 10Mbps (10 megabit/sec) Ethernet technology to achieve 100Mbps (100 megabit/sec) transmission and reception. Because Fast Ethernet retains the traditional Ethernet CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense, Multiple Access, Collision Detect) protocol, it remains wholly compatible with 10Mbps Ethernet while providing a tenfold increase in network capacity.

The Fast Ethernet standard specifies three subtypes, corresponding to three media types:

∙100Base-TX (using two twisted pairs in EIA 568 Category 5 UTP or STP cable)

∙100Base-T4 (using four twisted pairs in a Category 3, Category 4, or Category 5 UTP cable)

∙100Base-FX (using two fiber-optic strands).

The DFE-690TXD provides full-duplex and half-duplex 100Base-TX operation (in Category 5 twisted-pair cable environments). It does not provide 100Base-T4 or 100Base-FX operation. To provide for traditional 10Mbps Ethernet operation in twisted-pair cable environments, the DFE- 690TXD also offers 10Mbps Ethernet operation, in full-duplex and half- duplex modes. The DFE-690TXD's autonegotiation capability provides for automatic selection of the best operation mode.