WC-SERIAL USER MANUAL
76-02-103 Rev.C
Page 6 of 17
1 INTRODUCTION
The Metrodata WC-Serial is a two port auto sensing 10/100BaseT Ethernet Switch
with a multi-protocol serial uplink. The WC-Serial can be used to extend two LAN
ports across a serial WAN link to a remote site. Each LAN port may be connected
to a single LAN workstation or to a hub or switch supporting multiple workstations.
The exact configuration will depend upon the user’s network design and workload
characteristics.
An example application is shown below, where a remote office with two users is
connected to the head office servers via a BT Kilostream X.21 service.
The WC-Serial Ethernet Switch can switch between local LANs connected to its two
ports, and the unit may thus reduce the need for local LAN hubs and switches. The
Ethernet switch has full wirespeed filtering so that the WAN serial port carries only
traffic destined for the remote WAN-linked site, and an efficient HDLC encapsulation
of packets ensures maximum throughput over the WAN link. There is internal packet
buffering to smooth out bursty traffic. WC-Serial units are used in pairs, one on either
side of a WAN link due to the proprietary encoding of the serial data.
The serial port uses a HD60 connector and is compatible with the Cisco HD60 cable
set to support DTE interfaces at X.21, EIA-530 or V.35.
