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2-2 DESIGNING AND EXPANDING THE NETWORK
Understanding the
General Rules
As part of your network design, it is important to consider your
network size. For instance, is the network (end-to-end) 100 meters,
1000 meters, 4000 meters, or more? What are your plans for
expansion? Your answers play a role in how you configure your
network. For example, once the network expands beyond a certain
size, you may need to add a bridge or other internetworking device.
This section describes general rules for configuring an Ethernet network
using fiber as the backbone medium, and twisted pair as the horizontal
medium. It also provides rules to ensure that your network
configuration conforms to distance limitations imposed by Ethernet and
networking equipment. The following topics are discussed:
■ Basic Network Rules
■ LAN Equivalence
Basic Network Rules This section outlines the basic network rules and 3Com
recommendations for these rules. For more hardware-specific
information on the 24-port module, refer to Appendix A
.
Table 2-1
outlines the seven basic rules to keep in mind when you
construct your network
Table 2-1 Seven Basic Network Rules
Rule Definition Recommendations/Notes
1 If possible, use 10BASE-FB as
the backbone medium.
Use 62.5 micron cable to conform with
IEEE 10BASE-F and the upcoming ANSI
FDDI standards.
Use ST-type connectors.
2 Wire the backbone in a star
topology to isolate faults.
Make sure to lay extra fiber cables. The
extra cost is small and you will find you
need them as your network grows.
The star topology conforms to FDDI
wiring as well. Ensure that you run at
least two fiber strands to every backbone
connection.