AMX NXA-ENET24 dimensions Overview, Description of Hardware, MAX A/V Network, Application Notes

Installation Guide

NXA-ENET24Fast Ethernet Switch

For more detailed installation, configuration, programming, and operating instructions, refer to the NXA-ENET24 Hardware Installation and Software Management Guides available on-line at www.amx.com.

Overview

The NXA-ENET24 Fast Ethernet switch is specifically designed to protect the video streams coming from AMX’s MAX units to the Audio Video Modules (AVM). Standard switches will reduce bandwidth from all applications when there is heavy data traffic passing through the switch. For streaming audio and video applications this will cause skipping and jitter in the audio and video feeds. This is unacceptable for AMX’s applications. As a result, AMX has designed the NXA- ENET24 to protect the A/V streams when heavy data traffic occurs. Bandwidth is reduced from other applications such as file transfer, e-mail and web surfing only when heavy data traffic events occur.

The NXA-ENET24 also provides a full range of features for Layer 2 switching. It includes a management agent that allows you to configure the features listed in the products manual. The default configuration can be used for most of the features provided by this switch. However, there are many options that you could configure to maximize the switch’s performance for your particular network environment.

Description of Hardware

Physical Dimensions

The NXA-ENET24 Fast Ethernet switch measures 17.32 x 16.14 x 1.69 inches (44.0 x 41.0 x 4.3 cm). (See FIG. 1)

FIG. 1 The NXA-ENET24 Fast Ethernet switch

Stack Master Button

The Stack Master button enables one switch in the stack to be selected as the master. Seven other switches can be stacked together and they should be placed in "Slave" mode. When operating in a stand-alone configuration the switch should be in "Master" mode.

Power Supply Receptacle

The standard power receptacle is for the AC power cord. It is located on the rear panel of the switch.

MAX A/V Network

The switch is an excellent choice for mixed AMX equipment such as the NXA- WAP 200 G wireless access points, AVMs, Breakout Boxes and MAX. You can easily build on this basic configuration, adding direct full-duplex connections to AVMs, Breakout Boxes and WAPs. When the time comes for further expansion, just connect to another hub or switch via one of the switch’s Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet ports.

The switch automatically identifies MAX streams to the AVMs so no configuration is required by the installer.

Ports

Port	Description
Number
1 - 24	Ports 1 - 24 can be used to connect AMX’s Master, AVMs, Breakout
	Boxes, WAP 200 Gs and/or other Ethernet based devices requiring 10
	or 100 Mbps data throughput.

25This port provides 10/100/1000 Mbps data throughput and can be used to support MAX units or stacking other switches together.

26This port provides 10/100/1000 Mbps data throughput and can be used to support MAX units, or connections to the LAN/Internet.

10/100BASE-T Ports

The switch base unit contains 24 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX RJ-45 ports. All ports support automatic MDI/MDI-X operation, so you can use straight-through cables for all network connections to AVMs, Masters, or to other switches or hubs.

Each of these ports support auto-negotiation, so the optimum transmission mode (half or full duplex), and data rate (10 or 100 Mbps) can be selected automatically. If a device connected to one of these ports does not support auto- negotiation, the communication mode of that port can be configured manually.

Each port also supports IEEE 802.3x auto-negotiation of flow control, so the switch can automatically prevent port buffers from becoming saturated.

1000BASE-T/SFP Ports

These are combination Gigabit RJ-45 ports with alternate Small Form Factor Pluggable (SFP) transceiver slots. If an SFP transceiver (purchased separately) is installed in a slot and has a valid link on the port, the associated RJ-45 port is disabled.

The 1000BASE-T RJ-45 ports support automatic MDI/MDI-X operation, so you can use straight-through cables for all network connections to MAX servers, or to other switches or hubs.

Port and System Status LEDs

The LEDs, which are located on the front panel for easy viewing, are described in the following tables.

Port Status LEDs

LED	Condition	Status
1~24	On/Flashing	Port has established a valid 100 Mbps network
(Link/Act	Green	connection. Flashing indicates activity.
Mode)
	On/Flashing	Port has established a valid 10 Mbps network con-
	Amber	nection. Flashing indicates activity.
	Alternate Green/	Port has been disabled by the administrator.
	Amber
	Off	There is no valid link on the port.

Application Notes

1.Full-duplex operation only applies to point-to-point access (such as when a switch is attached to a workstation, server or another switch). When the switch is connected to a hub, both devices must operate in half-duplex mode.

2.Avoid using flow control on a port connected to a hub unless it is actually required to solve a problem. Otherwise back pressure jamming signals may degrade overall performance for the segment attached to the hub.

3.As a general rule the length of fiber optic cable for a single switched link should not exceed:

•1000BASE-SX: 550 m (1805 ft) using multimode fiber

•1000BASE-LX: 5 km (3.2 miles) using single-mode fiber

•100BASE-LH: 70 km (43.5 miles) using single-mode fiber

However, power budget constraints must also be considered when calculating the maximum cable length for your specific environment.

Installing the Switch

Selecting a Site

Switch units can be mounted in a standard 19-inch equipment rack or on a flat surface. Be sure to follow the guidelines below when choosing a location.

The site should:

•be at the center of all the devices you want to link and near a power outlet.

•be able to maintain its temperature within 0 to 50 °C (32 to 122 °F), and its humidity within 5% to 95%, non-condensing

•provide adequate space (approximately two inches) on all sides for proper air flow

•be accessible for installing, cabling, and maintaining the devices

•allow the status LEDs to be clearly visible

Make sure that twisted-pair cable is always routed away from power lines, fluorescent lighting fixtures and other sources of electrical interference, such as radios and transmitters.