IBM 866011U Hardware Maintenance Manual - Page 63

Configuring the Ethernet controller The Netfinity 5500 comes with an Ethernet controller on the system board. The Ethernet controller provides 10BASE-T and 100BASE-TX support through the RJ-45 connector on the back of the server. When you connect the server to the network, the Ethernet controller automatically detects the data-transfer rate (10 Mbps or 100 Mbps) on the network and then sets the controller to operate at the appropriate rate. That is, the Ethernet controller will adjust to the network data rate, whether the data rate is standard Ethernet (10BASE-T), Fast Ethernet (100BASE-TX), half duplex (HDX), or full duplex (FDX). This process is also known as auto-negotiating. This auto-negotiation occurs without requiring software intervention. The controller supports half-duplex (HDX) and full-duplex (FDX) modes at both speeds. Note The 100BASE-TX Fast Ethernet standard requires that the cabling in the network be Category 5 or higher. Fast Ethernet operates at a data rate of 100 Mbps; that is, ten times faster than standard Ethernet. However, except for the different operating speeds, Fast Ethernet and standard Ethernet are structurally identical. Applications and protocols that are currently hosted on a standard Ethernet system can be seamlessly migrated to a Fast Ethernet system. (In a very small number of cases, minor tuning might be required to adjust the application to the higher performance of a Fast Ethernet system). Because of the equivalence of the two types of Ethernet, mixed Ethernet and Fast Ethernet systems also can be designed and implemented. The bandwidth required at each workstation connected to a server is generally far less than the bandwidth required at the server. This is because the server might have to handle the bandwidth of multiple workstations at the same time. A cost-effective solution to the bandwidth requirements of this type of system is a mixed Ethernet and Fast Ethernet network. This mixed network consists of standard Ethernet connections at the workstations and Fast Ethernet connections at the servers. The Ethernet controller is a PCI device, and is therefore, a Plug and Play device. You do not have to set any jumpers or configure the controller for the operating system before you use the Ethernet controller. However, you must install a device driver to enable the operating system to address the Ethernet controller (refer to the serverGuide documentation or operating-system documentation). If you need additional Ethernet connections, you can install an Ethernet adapter, such as the IBM 10/100 PCI Ethernet Netfinity 5500 - Type 8660 55