4
CABLING
The LinkBuilder FMS 100-TX Hub supports Fast Ethernet cabling and topology
requirements, as detailed in the IEEE 802.3 specification. Fast Ethernet
preserves the 100-meter maximum UTP cable length from the hub to the
desktop that is a requirement for 10 Mbps Ethernet. Two 100 Mbps topology
rules are different from those for 10 Mbps Ethernet:
■ The maximum number of repeaters in a collision domain is two. (For additional
information, refer to the sections “Considerations for Multisegmented
Networks” and “Classification of Repeaters” in Chapter 3.)
The LinkBuilder FMS 100-TX Hub only supports one repeater in a collision
domain.
■ In a single collision domain, the maximum network diameter is 200 meters
with Category 5 UTP cabling only, or 260.8 meters with one fiber-optic
cabling link. Refer to Table 4-1 for a summary of maximum cable lengths.
Table 4-1 Maximum Network Collision Domain Diameters
Model Maximum Cable Length Media
Hub to connected
workstations
100 meters Straight-through UTP cable
One Class I repeater 200 meters Straight-through UTP cable
260.8 meters Combined UTP and fiber cable