3Com 3 manual Port Features

2 OPTIMIZING BANDWIDTH

There are many ways you can optimize the bandwidth on your network and improve network performance. If you utilize certain Switch features you can provide the following benefits to your network and end users:

	■	Increased bandwidth
	■	Quicker connections
	■ Faster transfer of data
	■	Minimized data errors
	■	Reduced network downtime
	For detailed descriptions of the web interface operations and the
	command line interface (CLI) commands that you require to manage the
	Switch please refer to the Management Interface Reference Guide
	supplied in HTML format on the CD-ROM that accompanies your Switch.
Port Features	The default state for all the features detailed below provides the best
	configuration for a typical user. In normal operation, you do not need to
	alter the Switch from its default state. However, under certain conditions
	you may wish to alter the default state of these ports, for example, if you
	want to force a port to operate at 10 Mbps.

Duplex Full duplex allows packets to be transmitted and received simultaneously and, in effect, doubles the potential throughput of a link. Half duplex only allows packets to be transmitted or received at any one time.

To communicate effectively, both devices at either end of a link must use the same duplex mode. If the devices at either end of a link support auto-negotiation, this is done automatically.