Installation and User Guide Network Interface Cards (NICs)

1 Installing the NIC

10/100/1000Base-T NIC

The NIC has one RJ-45 connector used for attaching the system to an Ethernet

copper-wire segment. When automatic link negotiation is disabled, the port

can be conﬁgured for 10Mbps, 100Mbps, or 1000Mbps signaling and either

half-duplex or full-duplex operation.

1 Prepare an appropriate cable.

The following table lists the cable characteristics for connecting to

10/100/1000Base-T ports:

2 Connect one end of the cable to the NIC.

3 Connect the other end of the cable to an RJ-45 Ethernet network port.

The NIC port LEDs are not functional (they will not reﬂect port link or data

status) until the NIC driver software is installed.

See the next chapter for driver installation and conﬁguration instructions.

Port Type Connector Media Maximum Distance

10Base-T RJ-45 Cat. 3, 4, or 5 UTP 100 meters (325 feet)

100/1000Base-T RJ-45 Cat. 5 UTP 100 meters (325 feet)

NOTE: 1000Base-T signaling requires four twisted pairs of Category 5

balanced cabling, as speciﬁed in ISO/IEC 11801:1995 and EIA/TIA-568-A

(1995), and tested using procedures deﬁned in TIA/EIA TSB95.