Introduction, Small Network With OfficeConnect Hub

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the world of networking with 3Com® . In the modern business environment, communication and sharing information is crucial. Computer networks have proved to be one of the fastest modes of communication but, until recently, only large businesses could afford the networking advantage. The OfficeConnect® product range from 3Com has changed this, bringing networks to the small office.

The OfficeConnect Dual Speed Hub 16 is ideal for creating small networks. It is compact and attractively designed for desktop use and can be used with other OfficeConnect products. This product forms part of the OfficeConnect range which neatly stack together with the OfficeConnect stacking clip.

The OfficeConnect Dual Speed Hub 16 is an easy-to-use Class II hub (repeater) with sixteen 10/100BASE-TX ports. It allows you to set up a network with both Ethernet (10Mbps) and Fast Ethernet (100Mbps) workstations and other devices (a Class II hub can be connected to another Fast Ethernet hub, a Class I hub cannot).

When referring to the OfficeConnect Dual Speed Hub 16, this guide uses the term ‘Hub’. Each port on the Hub can be connected to either a 10BASE-T (Ethernet) or a 100BASE-TX (Fast Ethernet) device. The port senses the speed of the connected equipment and operates at the appropriate speed.

If you wish to extend an existing Ethernet network into Fast Ethernet, adding a Dual Speed Hub 16 can offer a more cost-effective migration path than adding both a 100Mbps hub and a 10/100Mbps switch.

Figure 1 Small Network With OfficeConnect Hub

	OfficeConnect
	Dual Speed Hub	16
10Mbps	100Mbps

If you need to connect more workstations, simply use the stacking clip to connect another OfficeConnect hub to form a stack.