3Com 3C1670500C-US User Guide - Page 7

2 BEFORE YOU INSTALL YOUR SWITCH Unit Connections To connect other OfficeConnect units (such as gateways or switches) to your Switch you need: • One suitable Twisted Pair (TP) cable for each unit 3Com recommends Category 5E cable for Gigabit connections. Workstation Connections To connect workstations or other equipment (such as servers) directly to your Switch, you need: 1 One adapter card for each workstation to be connected to a port on the Switch. The adapter card must be capable of communicating at the required connection speed. For example, if you want to use a Gigabit connection, you must install a 1000BASE-T adapter card. 2 An operating system (for example Windows/Mac/Linux) with network support configured, running on your workstations. 3 One suitable Twisted Pair cable for each workstation. 12 Green = 1000M, Yellow = 10/100M, Flash = Activity 3 CONNECTING WORKSTATIONS Twisted Pair (TP) Cables Cables can be shielded (screened) or unshielded. Cables must be Category 5 or above. 3Com recommends Category 5E cable for Gigabit connections. The maximum length you can use is 100 m (328 ft). Twisted Pair (TP) cable is very easy to use. To connect a TP cable, simply slot the connector into the relevant RJ-45 Port. When a connector is fully in, its latch locks into place. To disconnect the cable, push the connector's latch in and remove it. When one end of a TP cable is connected to the Switch and the other end is connected to the network interface card of a workstation or other device, the Switch will automatically detect whether a straight-through or crossover cable is being used and will compensate if required. The units will then autonegotiate to determine the fastest possible link speed between them. This may take a few seconds and the outcome will be reflected in the LEDs on the front of the Switch. If the equipment connected to the Switch does not support autonegotiation or it has been disabled, it must be configured to operate in half duplex mode. Expanding Your Network You can increase the number of workstations and other devices that can connect to your network by adding other OfficeConnect gateways and switches. You can connect a 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX or 1000BASE-T OfficeConnect unit to each port of the Switch. 13