Gigafast EE101-AEX, User Manual

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PCMCIA Fast Ethernet card user’s manual
3
Fast Ethernet
Also called 100BaseT, it is a high-speed version of Ethernet (IEEE
802.3u standard). 100BaseT transmits at 100 Mbps rather than 10
Mbps. Like regular Ethernet, Fast Ethernet is a shared media LAN.
All nodes share the 100 Mbps bandwidth. 100BaseT uses the same
CSMA/CD access method as regular Ethernet with some modifica-
tion. Three cabling variations are provided. 100BaseTX uses two
pairs of Category 5 UTP, 100BaseT4 uses four pairs of Category 3,
and 100BaseFX uses multi-mode optical fibers and is primarily in-
tended for backbone use.
This concludes the first chapter. The next chapter deals with the
hardware installation of the Ethernet card.