Planet NOVASwitch FNSW-8086F, User Manual

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NOVASwitch Series 22
Ethernet Technologies
More than 80 percent of all Local Area networks are installed
with Ethernet. The Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE) define the standard of Ethernet as IEEE 802.3.
The IEEE 802.3 provides rules for configuring Ethernet LANs,
specifies how elements should interact with one another, and
different types of media that can be used, as well as data rate
(10Mbps) of Ethernet. Ethernet supports just about all kinds of
popular network protocols. It is one of the most ideal networking
technologies today.
Fast Ethernet
For networks that need higher transmission speeds, IEEE has
also established the standard 802.3u, which raises the Ethernet
speed limit from 10 Mbps to 100 Mbps. This allows a network
device to transmit data through media such as category 5 UTP
(Unshielded Twisted Pair) cable or fiber optic cable at the rate of
100 Mbps instead of 10 Mbps. A number of other high-speed
LAN technologies are also available for high bandwidth and good
client server response time. However, Fast Ethernet offers the
best solution that provides smooth migration from 10Base-T
technology to 100 Base-TX. It requires only minimal changes
with existing cabling infrastructure. Fast Ethernet and its
successors have been said to be the most cost effective and
high-performance networking solutions of the future.
The Fast Ethernet contains three different cabling schemes.
100Base-TX for use with category 5 UPT/STP cable, 100Base-
FX for use with Multi-mode fiber-optic cable, and 100Base-T4 for