Netgear FE516 Installation Guide - Page 6

Chapter 1 Introduction Congratulations on your purchase of the NETGEAR™ Model FE508 8-port Fast Ethernet Hub or the Model FE516 16-port Fast Ethernet Hub. These hubs are part of the NETGEAR 500 Series product family, designed to efficiently handle the needs of your 10 and 100 megabits per second (Mbps) network today, and expand to handle your increasing networking needs in the future. Both hubs are IEEE 802.3u-based Class I shared repeaters that provide you with a low-cost, high-performance scalable network solution and are designed to support power workgroups operating at 100 Mbps. Users who are operating network intensive applications on powerful workstations require more bandwidth than the conventional 10BASE-T network. By migrating users who require more bandwidth to devices that operate at 100 Mbps, you can increase the bandwidth and improve response times. By installing the Model FE508 or Model FE516 hub in your network, you can create a power workgroup with many users who can share access to centralized network devices (such as servers and printers) that are operating at 100 Mbps. This guide describes how to install and use the hub and includes physical configuration guidelines for stacking hubs, connecting Ethernet stations, and making network connections. This guide is intended for individuals who have the following background and experience: • Working knowledge of basic Ethernet • Familiarity with the differences between the 10BASE-T and 100BASE-T specifications Introduction 1-1