Making Connections
29
tion on each hub is 100 meters, then the hub-to-hub connection is limited to 5
meters. However, if the longest hub-to-end-station connection is less than
100 meters, then the hub-to-hub connection can be up to 100 meters long.
Almost any variation of cable lengths are possible as long as each segment is
shorter than 100 meters and the total network diameter does not exceed 205
meters.
The DFE-2600
are dual-speed hubs capable of operating at both 10Mbps
(Ethernet) and 100Mbps (Fast-Ethernet). The connection speed is automati-
cally determined using the built-in NWay auto-detection technology, which
will always choose the fastest possible connection speed. Thus, if a DFE-
2600 series hub or hub stack is linked through a twisted-pair or Uplink port
to another dual-speed or Fast Ethernet hub or hub stack, the connection speed
will be 100Mbps, which will limit the total number of hubs or hub stacks in
the network to two and the total network diameter to 205 meters. If a DFE-
2600 series hub or hub stack is linked through a twisted-pair or Uplink port
to a 10Mbps (only) Ethernet hub or hub stack, the connection speed will be
10Mbps, the maximum number of hubs/stacks in the network will be four,
and the total network diameter can be 500 meters maximum (assuming the
entire network is composed of twisted-pair wiring).
Since the DFE-2600 series hubs are dual-speed hubs containing two separate
repeaters, they can be part of a Fast Ethernet collision domain and a normal
Ethernet collision domain at the same time, counting as one repeater in each.
Optional Module Connections
There are three optional modules that may be added to any of the DFE-2600
series hubs. Each hub can accommodate two modules. Each of the modules
offers a different additional network interface that allows for greater flexibil-
ity in how these hubs may be used in a network.
The sections that follow provide a brief overview of the module and basic
instructions on any settings and indicators.
