NETGEAR FE104, Руководство по установке

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Fast Ethernet and Cabling Guidelines C-1
Appendix C
Fast Ethernet and Cabling Guidelines
This appendix discusses the Fast Ethernet technology and the cable specifications and guidelines
for Category 5 UTP cabling.
Fast Ethernet Technology
Fast Ethernet is conventional Ethernet but faster. Fast Ethernet, or 100BASE-TX, operates at
100 Mbps instead of 10 Mbps. The 100BASE-TX technology uses the same frame format and
length as Ethernet and does not require changes to the upper-layer protocols, applications, or
networking software that run on LAN workstations. You can switch and route data from 10 Mbps
to 100 Mbps without protocol translation and its associated delays. Fast Ethernet is based on the
proven CSMA/CD Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol.
The most popular cabling scheme in an Ethernet network today is star-wired topology, where the
hub is in a central wiring closet and individual cables run out to each tabletop device. This
topology is the same topology used by Fast Ethernet, although the maximum allowable network
diameter is smaller because of the increase in packet speed.