Manual

EtherFast
®
10/100 PC Cards
There are different grades, or categories, of twisted-pair cabling. Category 5
is the most reliable and is highly recommended. Category 3 is a good second
choice. Straight-through cables are used for connecting computers to a hub.
Crossover cables are used for connecting a hub to another hub (there is an
exception: some hubs have a built-in uplink port that is crossed internally,
which allows you to link or connect hubs together with a straight-through
cable instead).
You can buy pre-made Category 5 cabling, or cut and crimp your own.
Category 5 cables can be purchased
or crimped as either straight-through
or crossover cables. A Category 5
cable has 8 thin, color-coded wires
inside that run from one end of the
cable to the other. All 8 wires are
used. In a straight-through cable,
wires 1, 2, 3,
and 6 at one
end of the cable
are also wires
1, 2, 3, and 6 at
the other end.
In a crossover cable, the order of the
wires change from one end to the
other: wire 1 becomes 3, and 2
becomes 6. See the diagrams on the
next page for more detailed informa-
tion on straight-through and crossover cabling.
To determine which wire is wire number 1, hold the cable so that the end of
the plastic RJ-45 tip (the part that goes into a wall jack first) is facing away
from you. Face the clip down so that the copper side
faces up (the springy clip will now be parallel to the
floor).When looking down on the copper side, wire 1
will be on the far left.
53
Instant EtherFast
®
Series
Linksys does not provide technical support for Linux, BSD, or other free-
ware, Beta, or open source operating systems. Although many Linksys prod-
ucts have been proven to perform well under Linux and other freeware
Operating Systems, technical support for setup and troubleshooting is not
provided. For information on where to find device drivers and setup instruc-
tions for Linux and other freeware Operating Systems, visit the support pages
and FAQ files on the Linksys website at www.linksys.com.
52
Twisted-Pair CablingLinux, Open Source and Beta Operating Systems
NNoottee::
After manually installing a component,
you will be asked to reboot your computer.
DDoo nnoott
reboot until after you have finished
installing all desired components.