Instant EtherFast® Series EtherFast 10/100 Dual-Speed Switches Use this guide to install these Linksys products: EtherFast 10/100 12-Port Switch (DSSX12) EtherFast 10/100 16-Port Switch (DSSX16) EtherFast 10/100 24-Port Switch (DSSX24) User Guide
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Contents Introduction 2 Planning Your Network 6 Installing the Switch 8 Mounting Your Switch to a Rack 8 Connecting Nodes to the Switch 8 Powering on the Switch 9 Appendix 10 LED Displays 10 Expanding Your Switch 11 Installing Expansion Modules 12 Fiber Module Specifications and Distance Rules 13 Specifications 14 Twisted Pair Wiring 15 Customer Support 16
Introduction Congratulations on purchasing your new EtherFast 10/100 Dual-Speed Switch for your network's 10/100 migration needs. Ready to run right out of the box, the EtherFast 10/100 Dual-Speed Switch is the easiest, most flexible way to boost your network's performance with full duplex data transfer and dedicated bandwidth to each of your nodes while migrating to the power of Fast Ethernet.
About Fast Ethernet As the demand for desktop video, multimedia development, imaging, and other speed-intensive applications continues to rise, the need for high performance, fault tolerant LAN technology will become more critical. Standard Ethernet, which has been the most popular networking technology to date with a maximum data throughput of 10 Mbps, is becoming insufficient to handle the latest video, multimedia, and other speed-intensive client/server LAN applications.
Switched Ethernet, by contrast, is closer to the notion of individual telephone lines: a switching hub examines the incoming MAC addresses of network packets and forwards them directly to their destinations without repetition, reducing bandwidth waste and resulting in more predictable network performance. Each node receives its own full-speed pipeline -- bandwidth isn't divided up. Switched Ethernet can improve data transfer speeds and overall efficiency for 10BaseT networks, 100Mbps networks, or both.
Here are some scenarios in which a switch can be applied: · Speeding up a 10BaseT Network On a 10BaseT network, you might connect users to one of the switch's 10/100 ports and the file server to the other, allowing the server to service more users faster because it enjoys its own switched pipeline into the network. · Mixing 10BaseT with 100BaseTX 10BaseT and 100BaseTX hardware not readily compatible with each other.
Planning Your Network The rules that govern how switches are distributed in Fast Ethernet are slightly different from 10BaseT networking rules. Cabling specifications, distance limits, and other topology rules must be followed in order to avoid network collisions and data loss. Here are the most important rules to follow: · 100BaseTX requires four-pair, Category 5 UTP (EIA 568, Cat 5)cabling. · The maximum cable length from a node to a repeater, switch, or hub is 100 meters (328 feet).
The diagram below shows one possible configuration of a 12-Port Switch in a Fast Ethernet environment; if you have an 16 or 24-Port Switch, the configuration remains the same. Note that like all Fast Ethernet network hardware, the switch requires Category 5 UTP network cabling, which is available at most computer stores. In this example, each workstation has access to all of the resources on the network -- 10Mbps users can access the 100Mbps stations, and vice-versa.
Installing the Switch Package Contents Carefully remove the switch from its packaging. Make sure that you received all of the items listed below. If any items are missing or damaged, contact your Linksys dealer for replacement part(s).
Each switch can be connected to workstations, PCs, file servers, hubs, repeaters, bridges, or other switches. Each cable connected to the switch must be a Category 5 UTP network cable with RJ-45 tips, and should not exceed 100 meters (328 feet), in length. Ready-to use network cables of various lengths can be purchased at most computer stores. See page 15 for more details.
Appendix LED Displays Power ON when unit is powered on Link/Activity ON when a link has been established, flickering when activity on the port is detected Full Duplex/Collision ON when port is operating at full duplex, changing color or flickering when collision is detected 100/10 ON when port is running at 100Mbps (LK/ACT) (FDX/COL) 10
Expanding Your 10/100 Dual-Speed Switches The EtherFast 12, 16 and 24-Port Switches are equipped with an expansion slot in the back of the switch into which expansion modules with different features can be inserted. The 100BaseFX Fiber Optic Distance Extender Module allows you to connect your EtherFast 10/100 Dual-Speed Switch to other switches, hubs, routers, or high-speed network backbones using fiber optic cabling.
Installing the Fiber Expansion Modules To install an expansion module on the back of the EtherFast 10/100 DualSpeed Switches, follow these instructions: 1. Power off your Switch and remove the AC power cord before beginning. If the switch is installed in a rack, it is recommended to remove the switch from the rack temporarily and reinstall it after the add-on module is installed. 2.
Fiber Optic Modules There are different 100BaseTX fiber add on modules available switches: Modules with ST or SC-Type Fiber Optic Distance Extender Ports (can used on the back of all the switches): DSSXFXST DSSXFXSC ST-Type Single-Port Fiber Module SC-Type Single-Port Fiber Module The following chart shows the distance limitations when using any of the above fiber modules: Distance (m/ft) Cable Type Module in Switch A Module in Switch B 412/1330 (Half Duplex) Multi-Mode 62.
Specifications Standards IEEE 802.3 and IEEE 802.
Twisted-Pair Wiring There are different grades, or categories, of twisted-pair cabling. Category 5 is the most reliable and widely compatible, and is required for Fast Ethernet networks. You can buy Category 5 cabling that is pre-crimped, or you can crimp your own. Category 5 cables can be purchased or crimped as either straight-through or crossed. A Category 5 cable has 8 thin, color-coded wires inside that run from one end of the cable to the other. Only wires 1, 2, 3, and 6 are used by Ethernet networks.
Customer Support For help with the installation or operation of your EtherFast 10/100 12Port, 16-Port or 24-Port Dual-Speed Switch, contact Linksys Customer Support at one of the phone numbers or Internet addresses below. Customer Support Fax Email Website FTP Site (800) 326-7114 (949) 261-1288 (949) 261-8868 support@linksys.com http://www.linksys.com ftp.linksys.
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