Linksys EF2H24, EF2H16 manual Getting to Know the 10/100 Hub, About Fast Ethernet, LEDs

Instant EtherFast II Series

About Fast Ethernet

As the demand for desktop video, multimedia development, imaging, and other speed-intensive applications continues to rise, the need for high per- formance, fault tolerant LAN technology will become more critical.

Standard Ethernet, which has been the most popular networking technology to date with a maximum data throughput of 10Mbps (Megabits per second), is becoming insufficient to handle the latest video, multimedia, and other speed-intensive client/server LAN applications.

Among the solutions to the problem of network speed, Fast Ethernet has emerged as the most viable and economical. Capable of sending and receiv- ing data at 100Mbps, it is more than fast enough to handle even the most demanding video and other real-time applications.

Although there are a number of different competing Fast Ethernet implemen- tations, 100BaseTX is by far the most popular. Operating on two pairs of Category 5 unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cabling, 100BaseTX supports high speed signaling and is relatively inexpensive. Because it uses four wires for data transmission and the same packet format, packet length, error control, and management information as 10BaseT, 100BaseTX can be made to com- municate with slower 10BaseT equipment when routed through a switch.

This backwards compatibility is one of 100BaseTX's major advantages over other forms of Fast Ethernet; it allows critical, speed-dependent network seg- ments to be upgraded to 100BaseTX speeds as needed without re-wiring, refitting, and retraining an entire site. Networks can now mix both slow and fast network segments for different users or departments. Publishing, R&D, video, multimedia, or accounting departments can enjoy a 100Mbps pace, while other corporate segments can operate at slower and more affordable 10Mbps speeds.

Every port on your 10/100 Hub is capable of running at either 10Mbps or 100Mbps, allowing you to mix and match economical 10BaseT hardware with high performance 100Mbps network cards, hubs, switches, and other equipment.

10/100 Hubs

Getting to Know the 10/100 Hub

LEDs
Power	LED will be lit whenever the hub is receiving power.
10 Col	When lit, this LED indicates that collisions are being
	encountered at 10Mbps.
100 Col	When lit, this LED indicates that collisions are being
	encountered at 100Mbps. Some collisions are normal. If
	your network experiences an excessively high collision
	level, verify that your cabling is good, and that there are no
	cabling coils, cross-overs, or breaks

100LED will be lit if a given port is operating at 100Mbps.

Link/Act	LED will be lit or flickering if a given port is sending or
	receiving data; will not be lit if the port is not connected to
	a node.
Module Link/Act	LED will be lit if the optional expansion module is
	installed; flickering when receiving or transmitting data.

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