Connectivity
Introduction
1-3
1.1
CONNECTIVITY
The module connects to Ethernet networks or workstations through the front panel connectors. The
ports support Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cables with an impedance between 85 and 111 ohms
at lengths up to 100 meters. The ports are IEEE 802.3 10BASE-T and 100BASE-TX compliant.
1.2
HALF-DUPLEX/FULL-DUPLEX AUTO-NEGOTIATION
The fixed front panel ports on the module have the ability to auto-negotiate the ports’ mode of
operation (half-duplex or full-duplex) between two devices according to IEEE 802.3 standards.
During Auto-Negotiation, two devices automatically exchange information “telling” each other
their current operating mode. The Auto-Negotiation feature targets the maximum capability that
can be reached between the two devices. For example, the module can adjust to full-duplex
operation when the device on the other end of the connection can also adjust from half-duplex to
full-duplex. If the device on the other end of the connection can only operate in half-duplex mode,
then the module simply adjusts to operate in half-duplex mode.
1.3
PORT TRUNKING
Port Trunking is used for load balancing or load sharing. Port Trunking provides a mechanism to
group, or aggregate, multiple links of any technology together to scale the backbone bandwidth
beyond the limitations of a single link. All links are user-configurable so administrators can scale
the backbone bandwidth by adding Port Trunking. The benefits of Port Trunking include the
following:
•
All purchased bandwidth is used.
•
Distributed, resilient links increase reliability and performance.
•
Multiple technologies are supported within a single trunk for maximum flexibility.
1.4
REMOTE MONITORING (RMON)
The module supports the 1, 2, 3, and 9 Ethernet RMON groups. The Statistics, Alarms, Events and
History groups are enabled on all ports by default.
The Enterasys Networks RMON Actions is a vendor-specific extension of RMON and provides
the ability to set an “Action” on any SNMP MIB variable. The Action can be triggered by any
RMON Event and/or Alarm. An example of an Action would be to turn off a MIB-2 interface if a
broadcast threshold is crossed.
