Users Guide

Introduction 17
Connecting Devices
RJ-45 Switch Ports
There are RJ-45 connectors on the front panel of the switch.
The PowerConnect 2124 provides 24 10/100-Mbps ports that can sense
10/100-Mbps speeds and 1 10/100/1000-Mbps port that can sense
10/100/1000-Mbps speeds.
The PowerConnect 2508 provides 8 10/100/1000-Mbps ports that can sense
10/100/1000-Mbps speeds.
NOTE: Ensure that Category 5E (CAT 5E) cabling is used for connecting
devices at 1000-Mbps Gigabit Ethernet speed.
All ports can negotiate full- and half-duplex modes automatically. These
switching ports allow users to connect the switches to 10Base-T, 100Base-TX
and 1000Base-T devices.
All the RJ45 ports support Auto MDI/MDIX and therefore automatically
detect the type of cable used to connect the network device. Crossover or
straight-through networking cables can be used to connect PCs as well as
other networking devices like hubs or routers to the switch.
Aggregating Traffic at 1000-Mbps
Gigabit Ethernet
You can build high-performance networks by aggregating 10/100-Mbps
traffic via a 1000-Mbps uplink. Connect the 10/100/1000-Mbps port of the
PowerConnect 2124 to the 10/100/1000-Mbps Gigabit Ethernet port of the
PowerConnect 2508. To achieve best performance, also connect your
Gigabit Ethernet-capable servers into the 10/100/1000-Mbps ports of the
PowerConnect 2508.