Ethernet Support Guide for HP-UX 11i v3

1 Overview
This manual provides an overview of HP Gigabit and 10-Gigabit Ethernet network interface cards
(NICs) for HP-UX 11i v3 and describes how to install, configure, administer, and troubleshoot
them.
The information in this manual is intended for network managers who administer Ethernet networks.
It is assumed that the reader is experienced with the basics of local and wide area networking
and has a knowledge of HP-UX operating system concepts, commands, and configuration.
This chapter provides an overview of Ethernet technology and its features.
1.1 Fast Ethernet and cards
Fast Ethernet is the Ethernet networking technology that carries traffic at the nominal rate of 100
megabits per second (Mbit/s), which is ten times that of the original Ethernet speed of 10 Mbit/s.
Fast Ethernet was introduced in 1995 and remained the fastest version of Ethernet for approximately
three years until it was superseded by Gigabit Ethernet. Fast Ethernet is based on IEEE 802.3
standards and uses the standard CSMA/CD (carrier sense multiple access with collision detection)
to avoid collisions among devices sharing the network.
Fast Ethernet is sometimes referred to as 100Base-T, representing any of several standards for
twisted pair cables. Fast Ethernet is also referred to as 100Base-X, where “X” is the placeholder
for the variants of the physical medium, such as TX (copper) and FX (optical fiber). In either case,
the “100” represents the transmission speed, while “Base” refers to baseband signalling, which
means only Ethernet signals are carried on the medium. Fast Ethernet runs on unshielded twisted
pair (UTP) and fiber optic cable. The most commonly-supported Fast Ethernet variant is 100Base-TX,
which carries data at 100 Mbit/s over two-pair category 5 (Cat 5) or better cables. Each network
segment can have a maximum distance of 100 meters (328 ft). In its typical configuration,
100Base-TX uses one pair of twisted wires in each direction, providing 100 Mbit/s of throughput
in each direction (full-duplex).
HP offers a suite of 10/100Base-T Ethernet LAN network interface cards (NICs) — NICs are also
referred to in this document as cards or adapters — for every networking requirement. From the
basic single-port 10/100 Ethernet NIC to the 4-port 10/100 NIC to the 2-port 100Base-T and
2-port SCSI Combo adapter, HP provides a standards-based networking solution for every need.
All of the Ethernet/Fast Ethernet NICs are tuned for high performance and high availability on the
HP-UX servers. For more information about NICs, see Section 1.4 (page 8).
The HP Ethernet/Fast Ethernet LAN adapters fully support the IEEE 802.3 and 802.3u standards.
These scalable network links allow customers to move large amounts of data quickly while leveraging
their existing investments in Ethernet technology. Based on the same Ethernet standards already
widely deployed in the marketplace, the HP LAN adapters protect customers’ investments by
allowing them to migrate from 10 to 100 Mbit/s quickly and easily, with fast deployment and
minimal training. Use of the HP Ethernet adapters not only enables customers to implement
streamlined high-speed networking projects but, with the multi-ported cards, also preserves valuable
I/O slots in their enterprise servers.
In addition, most HP Ethernet/Fast Ethernet cards support HP-UX VLANs (Virtual LANs). This
software-based solution offers IT Managers a powerful tool that simplifies the tasks of building,
managing, and securing complex network infrastructures. Physical LANs can be segmented into
smaller logical or “virtual” LANs, allowing broadcast traffic to be reduced, thereby improving
overall network performance. HP-UX VLAN is compliant with host-based IEEE 802.1Q VLAN
tagging, IEEE 802.1p (later incorporated in IEEE 802.1D) priority encoding, and IP Type of Service
(ToS)—802.1p priority conversion.
For more information about HP-UX VLAN functionality, see the following website:
http://www.hp.com/go/vlan
1.1 Fast Ethernet and cards 5