Accton Technology 12i Switch User Manual


 
Product Overview 1-1
Chapter 1: Product Overview
Introduction to Fast Ethernet
Standard 10 Mbps Ethernet has served well for past generations
of 80286 and 80386 machines performing simple file transfers.
However, with the inevitable growth in corporate network size
and the introduction of fully-functional 32-bit PC architectures,
and operating systems running complex applications, 10 Mbps
Ethernet has become a serious bottleneck.
With the recent flood of choices for upgrading media
bandwidth, 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet has become the most
popular choice because of its low cost, compatibility with
existing Ethernet applications, and the fact that it can run on top
of an installed base of twisted-pair cabling.
Moreover, by using a dual-speed switch (10 or 100 Mbps),
Fast Ethernet can be easily integrated into an existing 10 Mbps
Ethernet environment with no need for protocol translation or
changes to network software. It also includes specifications for
a media-independent interface (MII), which permits a switched
connection to any of the 100BASE-T sublayers; i.e., 100BASE-
TX (10BASE-T), 100BASE-FX or 100BASE-T4.
Brief Description of the Fast EtherHub 3500 System
The EtherHub 3500 System is a powerful and innovative LAN
network enhancement and management product series. Each
component in the system supports a Fast Ethernet multi-segment
bus architecture that enhances traffic management and network
bandwidth utilization. This system offers the network manager
a wide range of flexible configuration options, allowing you to
increase your network’s bandwidth tenfold or more. In addition,
the entire installation can be monitored and controlled via SNMP
protocol through any network management station.