Ethernet
6-10 Ethernet Workgroup Design
The media selected for the network is inexpensive Category 3 UTP jumper
cabling. The low cost, durability, and ready availability of UTP makes it by far the
preferred media for this installation. If there were specific electrical noise or
distance considerations, the Network Designer may have decided to attempt a
design using multimode fiber optic cabling or other media. This media selection
removes the SEH-22FL, a fiber optic device, from the selection field.
As this is a small home office that does not plan to grow substantially, the ability
to expand the network is not a primary concern. As there is no apparent need or
desire to quickly and easily expand the network, the stackable products in the
selection field are not required. Again, if later criteria prove that the remaining
devices in the selection field do not measure up to the network’s needs, these can
be reintroduced to the selection field.
The easiest decision in the process of home office network design is the
comparison of required port count (the number of stations that will be part of the
network) and the port count supplied by the devices in the selection field. In the
case of this example, the comparison indicates that the one remaining device in
the selection field, the MR9T-E, provides three more 10BASE-T networking
station ports than the network requires. The MR9T-E, therefore, meets all of the
criteria judged to be important for this network.
Product Type Max
Management Media Port Count PIMs/BRIMs
MR9T-E repeater NONE UTP 8 1 EPIM
SEH-22/32 stackable NONE UTP 12 1 EPIM
SEH-24/34 stackable NONE UTP 24 2 EPIMs
SEH-22FL stackable NONE Multimode
Fiber Optics 12 1 EPIM
Product Type Max
Management Media Port Count PIMs/BRIMs
MR9T-E repeater NONE UTP 8 1 EPIM