Dell OptiPlex GXi Reference and Installation Guide ( - Page 50

NIC Your computer has an integrated 10/100-megabit per second (Mbps) 3Com Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) 3C905 network interface controller (NIC). The NIC provides all the functions normally provided by a separate network expansion card. Your system contains either a 100Base-TX or 100Base-T4 NIC daughter board, depending on your network cabling requirements. Both NIC daughter boards support the 10Base-T Ethernet standard. To distinguish the two boards, the letters T4 appear in the upper-right corner of the 100Base-T4 board, as shown in Figure 6-14. The NIC connector on the computer's back panel has the following indicators (see Figure 4-1): • A yellow activity indicator flashes when the system is transmitting or receiving network data. (A high volume of network traffic may make this indicator appear to be in a steady "on" state.) • A green link integrity indicator lights up when there is a good connection between the network and the NIC. When the green indicator is off, the computer is not detecting a physical connection to the network. Network Cable Requirements Your computer's NIC connector (an RJ45 connector located on the back panel) is designed for attaching an unshielded twisted pair (UTP) Ethernet cable. Press one parallel port connector mouse connector link integrity indicator end of the UTP cable into the NIC connector until the cable snaps securely into place. Connect the other end of the cable to an RJ45 jack wall plate or to an RJ45 port on a UTP concentrator or hub, depending on your network configuration. Observe the following cabling restrictions for 10Base-T, 100Base-TX, and 100Base-T4 networks. CAUTION: 100Base-T4 uses all four wire pairs to connect to the switch or hub. You must ensure that all building wiring and patch panel connections connect all four wire pairs. CAUTION: To avoid line interference, voice and data lines must be used in separate sheaths. • For 10Base-T and 100Base-T4 networks, use Cate- gory 3 or greater wiring and connectors. • For 100Base-TX networks, Category 5 wiring and connections must be used. • The maximum cable run length (from a workstation to a concentrator) is 328 feet (ft) (100 meters [m]). • The maximum number of workstations (not counting concentrators) on a network is 1024. • For 10Base-T networks, the maximum number of daisy-chained concentrators on one network segment is four. activity indicator serial port connector keyboard connector USB connectors NIC connector video connector microphone jack line-out jack Figure 4-1. I/O Ports and Connectors line-in jack 4-2 Dell OptiPlex GXi Mini Tower Systems Reference and Installation Guide