10/100 Dual-Speed Switch User’s Guide
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Introduction
One of the biggest advantages of Fast Ethernet over other high
speed networking solutions is the ability of existing 10 Mbps
Ethernet networks to be gradually upgraded; network performance
can be improved by adding Fast Ethernet components only when
and where needed. This cost-efficient migration strategy is realized
through dual-speed devices which can operate at either 10 Mbps or
100 Mbps, depending on the speed of the device it is connected to.
Fast, efficient and relatively inexpensive dual-speed devices are
made possible because there is no need to translate between
Ethernet and Fast Ethernet protocols. This allows for much lower
latencies (making your network faster), and easy installation,
especially if the devices use NWay Auto-Negotiation technology.
NWay is implemented on a port-by-port basis on dual-speed
devices. If NWay is implemented on a port it will automatically
sense the connection speed (10 or 100 Mbps) and duplex mode (full
or half) of any device connected to that port. NWay will establish
the connection at the highest speed attainable by both devices and
will use full duplex transmission if both devices have this
capability.
Your DES-1008D has 8 ports, all of which are dual-speed, capable
of full/half duplex operation and NWay enabled. All Ethernet and
Fast Ethernet devices connected to the switch will be able to
intercommunicate.
