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Installing the Cisco WAE Inline Network Adapter
OL-12480-03
Cabling
Note We strongly recommend that you do not use half-duplex connections on the WAE or on routers, switches,
or other devices.
If you are connecting a WAE inline appliance between two devices using Gigabit Ethernet, you can use
either straight-through cables, crossover cables, or any combination of the two cable types, regardless of
the type of device. However, for consistency, we recommend that you use straight-through cables for all
Gigabit Ethernet connections.
Table 3 shows the cable requirements for WAE and non-WAE connections when you are using Gigabit
Ethernet end to end.
Some switches support automatic medium-dependent interface crossover (MDIX). You can configure
MDIX by using the mdix auto global configuration switch command. If your switch supports MDIX,
you do not need to follow these cabling rules because MDIX automatically adjusts transmit and receive
pairs when an incorrect cable type (crossover or straight-through) is installed on a 10/100 Fast Ethernet
port. However, when you configure MDIX, you must also configure the port to use autosense (not
manual selection of speed/duplex).
Caution If you are connecting to Fast Ethernet ports on both the LAN and the WAN sides of the WAE inline
appliance, you must consider the types of devices that are being connected, and you must use the correct
cables. You must follow these cabling instructions for the inline network adapter to work properly. (See
Table 4. For illustrations and examples, see the “Installation Scenarios and Cabling Examples for Fast
Ethernet Connections” section on page 29.)
To connect the inline network adapter using the correct cables for Fast Ethernet connections, follow
these steps:
Step 1 Determine the type of cable that you would use for a direct connection between your two end devices
(without a WAE inline network appliance connected between them) by using the following standard
cabling rules:
• When you are directly connecting two network devices that are similar, such as two switches, use a
crossover cable.
Table 3 Cable Requirements for WAE Connections Using Gigabit Ethernet
Connection Required Cable
Switch to switch (no WAE) Crossover or straight-through
Switch to router (no WAE) Crossover or straight-through
Router to router (no WAE) Crossover or straight-through
Switch to WAE and
WAE to Router
Crossover or straight-through
Crossover or straight-through
Switch to WAE and
WAE to Switch
Crossover or straight-through
Crossover or straight-through
Router to WAE and
WAE to Router
Crossover or straight-through
Crossover or straight-through
WAE to WAE Crossover or straight-through