Manual

4 Omnitron Systems Technology, Inc.
The hub detects and displays per-segment activity (green LED) and collisions (yel-
low LED) for Ethernet and Fast Ethernet segments.
The FlexCenter features a special uplink Port 1 RJ45 connector. This uplink connec-
tor is equipped with a crossover switch that can switch between the receiving and
transmitting wire pairs. This feature eliminates the need for a “crossed cable” which
is otherwise required for connection between hubs.
The fiber and UTP uplink modules provide displays to show data speed, link and
activity, half/full duplex status and collisions. Controls include half/full duplex, auto-
sensing and speed. The UTP module also features a crossover switch.
CONTROLS AND INDICATORS
FlexCenter 200 Mainframe:
Port 1 Control Switch
This switch provides the crossover feature for port 1 of the hub. It should be set to the
straight position for connection to a station or crossover position for connection to a
hub or a switch.
Position Description
Out Straight, use when connecting port 1 to a PC or workstation.
In Crossed-Over, use when connecting port 1 to another hub or switch.
Stack Control Switch
This switch controls the stacking features of the FlexCenter 200. When the Flex-
Center 200 is used stand-alone, it must be set to the “Base’ position. When in a
stack, the first hub in a stack (with the “Out” cable only in the STK module) must be set
to the “Base”, and all other hubs must be set to the “Stack” position.
Position Description
Up Base, use when operating alone or as a base of a stack (the first hub).
Down Stack, use when in a stack. All hubs should be set to this state except
the first one in a chain.
Port Access Control Switches (6/12)
This set of switches is located in the back of the hub and control the operation of the
10/100 ports in groups of four ports; two switches per group. Normally, these switches
should be left in their factory default setting, which sets them to automatic sensing of
port speed and allows each port to auto-sense the highest level of service availble.
They should be used when the user desires to force a particular speed.
Omnitron Systems Technology, Inc. 9
Application 2. 10Base-T and 100Base-Tx Integration via Fiber
In this case an Ethernet 10Base-T hub is connected to the FlexCenter 200 via a fiber
uplink. Since the Ethernet 10Base-FL fiber is specified (by 802.3) as 850 nm and the
Fast Ethernet 100Base-Fx fiber is specified as 1300 nm, they can never be connected.
The 10Base-FL link must be converted to 10Base-T before being connected to the
FlexCenter 200’s 10/100 UTP port. The 100Base-Fx uplink from the Fast Ethernet hub is
connected to the FlexCenter 200’s extended fiber uplink module facilitating 100 to 200 m
of fiber (depending on the Fast Ethernet hub’s network layout).
Application 3. 10Base-2 Coax to 100Base-Tx Integration
This application depicts the integration of legacy coax 10Base-2 network segments to a
modern 10/100 FlexCenter 200 hub. The first case (top) depicts connection via a 10Base-
2 Coax to 10Base-T UTP converter to a 10/100 FlexCenter 200 port. In the second case
(bottom), the distance between the coax segment and the FlexCenter 200 is more than
100 meters and it requires fiber conversion. A 10Base-2 coax to fiber converter is used to
convert coax to fiber, and a 10Base-FL fiber to 10Base-T UTP converter is used to convert
fiber to UTP which is connected to a 10/100 FlexCenter 200 port.
Application 4. Single Wiring Closet / Two Hubs Application
This application depicts the basic connection between two 10/100 auto-sensing FlexCenter
200 hubs. A straight-through patch cord connects between Port 1 of both hubs. (The
crossover switch on one of them is set to the crossed mode.) This application is cost-
effective and simple, and it limits the distance between the hubs to 5 m / 15 ft. Only two
hubs can be connected this way thus limiting the station count to 46.