Amer SD8n User Manual

SD8n

8-Port NWay 10/100Mbps Fast Ethernet Switch

User’s Guide

Version 1.0

P/N: ATSD8-9904 Rev.A

This User's Guide contains important information regarding the

installation of your 10/100Mbps Switch. Please read it completely

before attempting to install your Network switch.

For future reference, record the serial number

of your network switch in the space below:

SERIAL Number

The serial number is located on the bottom of the switch.

Amer.com 7259 Bryan Dairy Road, Largo, FL 33777.

© Amer.com, 1999. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced in any form or by any means or used to make any derivative such as
translation, transformation, or adaptation without permission from Amer.com, as
stipulated by the United States Copyright Act of 1976.

Amer.com reserves the right to make changes to this document and the products
which it describes without notice. Amer.com shall not be liable for technical or
editorial errors or omissions made herein; nor for incidental or consequential
damages resulting from the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.

United States Government Legends:

If you are a United States government agency, then this publication is provided
subject to the following restricted rights:

For units of the Department of Defense:

Restricted Rights Legend: Use, duplication or disclosure by the Government is
subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph(c) (1) (ii) for Restricted Rights
in technical Data and Computer Software clause at 48 C.F.R. 52.227-7013.

For civilian agencies:

Restricted Rights Legend: Use, reproduction or disclosure is subject to restrictions
set forth in subparagraph (a) through (d) of the Commercial Computer Software ­Restricted Rights Clause at 48 C.F.R. 52.227-19 and the limitations set forth in
Amer.com Networks Corp's standard commercial agreement for the software.
Unpublished rights reserved under the copyright laws of the United States.

Amer.com is a registered trademark of Amer.com. All other trademarks and trade
names are properties of their owners.

Limited Lifetime Warranty

In the event of a defect in quality or workmanship, Amer.com will repair
or replace any hardware product sold by Amer.com with new or
reconditioned parts free of charge in North America for a limited lifetime
period unless otherwise specified on the sales invoice from the date of
original purchase. All removed parts become the property of
Amer.com. All replaced parts assume the original warranty.

This warranty is extended only to the original purchaser. Proof of
purchase will be required before warranty service is provided.

This warranty covers only failures due to defects in quality or
workmanship that occur during normal use. It does not cover damage
that occurs in shipment, electrical storms, floods, dropped or other acts
of nature.

This warranty also does not cover any failure that results from accident,
misuse, abuse, neglect, mishandling, misapplication, alteration, faulty
installation, modification, computer virus, improperly installed or faulty
software, or service by anyone other than an Amer.com Service
Technician. If there is evidence that the failure was due to user
negligence, Amer.com has the right to void this warranty and or charge
normal service rates for the subject repair.

The limited warranty covers a one (1) year period from date of purchase
on Power Supplies, AC Adapters & Fans, after the 1 year a cost for
replacement is applied to all products requiring such parts.

Amer.com is not responsible for any type of data loss on hard drive or
other storage devices.

Warranty Service can be obtained during the warranty period by
shipping, freight prepaid, or delivering the product to Amer.com in either
the original package or a similar package providing an equal degree of
protection. Amer.com will perform the required service and return the
unit to the user (freight prepaid), if applicable, via the same mode (i.e.
ground, air, etc.)

Limits and Expectations

There are no express warranties except as listed above.

Network products by Amer.com shall not be liable for incidental or
consequential damages resulting from the use of this product. Any
future upgrades, including (but not limited to) hardware and software
are not covered by this limited warranty. If a hardware problem with this
product develops during the warranty period, you may contact the
Amer.com Service Center at:

Telephone [phone]
Facsimile [phone]

Service Center
Amer.com
7259 Bryan Dairy Road
Largo, FL 33777
U.S.A.

FCC Warning

This equipment has been tested and found to comply
with the regulations for a Class B digital device,
pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are
designed to provide reasonable protection against
harmful interference when the equipment is operated
in a commercial environment. This equipment
generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance
with this user’s guide, may cause harmful interference
to radio communications. Operation of this equipment
in a residential area is likely to cause harmful
interference, in which case the user will be required to
correct the interference at his own expense.

CE Mark Warning

This is a Class B product. In a domestic environment,
this product may cause radio interference, in which
case the user may be required to take adequate
measures.

P/N: ATSD8-9904A

i

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS GUIDE.........................................................III

PURPOSE ...............................................................................III

TERMS/USAGE ...................................................................... III

OVERVIEW OF THIS USER’S GUIDE........................................IV

INTRODUCTION.................................................................. 1

FAST ETHERNET TECHNOLOGY.............................................. 1

SWITCHING TECHNOLOGY ..................................................... 2

FEATURES.............................................................................. 4

UNPACKING AND SETUP..................................................6

UNPACKING ........................................................................... 7

SETUP .................................................................................... 7

IDENTIFYING EXTERNAL COMPONENTS .................. 9

FRONT PANEL ........................................................................ 9

REAR PANEL .......................................................................... 9

LED INDICATORS ................................................................ 12

CONNECTING THE SWITCH.......................................... 13

PC TO SWITCH ..................................................................... 13

HUB TO SWITCH................................................................... 14

A. 10BASE-T Hub ............................................................ 14

B. 100BASE-TX Hub........................................................ 14

HUB WITHOUT UPLINK (MDI-II) PORT ................................ 15

ii

A. Using straight cable..................................................... 15

B. Using crossover cable.................................................. 15

SWITCH TO SWITCH (OTHER DEVICES) ................................. 15

A. Using straight cable..................................................... 16

B. Using crossover cable.................................................. 16

PORT SPEED & DUPLEX MODE ............................................ 16

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS..................................... 19

RJ-45 PIN SPECIFICATION ............................................. 21

iii

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

Congratulations on your purchase of the SD8n Fast
Ethernet 8-port 10/100M NWay Switch. This device
integrates 100Mbps Fast Ethernet and 10Mbps
Ethernet network capabilities in a highly flexible
desktop package.

Purpose

This manual discusses how to install your SD8n Fast
Ethernet 8-port 10/100M NWay Switch.

Terms/Usage

In this guide, the term “Switch” (first letter upper
case) refers to your SD8n Fast Ethernet 8-port
10/100M NWay Switch, and ”switch” (first letter
lower case) refers to other Ethernet switches.

iv

Overview of this User’s Guide

Chapter 1, Introduction. Describes the Switch and
its features.

Chapter 2, Unpacking and Setup. Helps you get
started with the basic installation of the Switch.

Chapter 3, Identifying External Components.
Describes the front panel, rear panel and LED
indicators of the Switch.

Chapter 4, Connecting the Switch. Tells how you
can connect the Switch to your Ethernet network.

Appendix A, Technical Specifications. Lists the
technical (general, physical and environmental, and
performance) specifications of the Switch.

Appendix B, RJ-45 Pin Specification. Describes the
RJ-45 receptacle/connector and the straight and
crossover cable connector.

1

INTRODUCTION

This chapter describes the features of the Switch and
some background information about Ethernet/Fast
Ethernet switching technology.

Fast Ethernet Technology

The growing importance of LANs and the increasing
complexity of desktop computing applications are
fueling the need for high performance networks. A
number of high-speed LAN technologies have been
proposed to provide greater bandwidth and improve
client/server response times. Among them, 100BASE­T (Fast Ethernet) provides a non-disruptive, smooth
evolution from the current 10BASE-T technology. The
non-disruptive and smooth evolution nature, and the
dominating potential market base, virtually guarantee
cost effective and high performance Fast Ethernet
solutions in the years to come.

100Mbps Fast Ethernet is a new standard specified by
the IEEE 802.3 LAN committee. It is an extension of
the 10Mbps Ethernet standard with the ability to
transmit and receive data at 100Mbps, while
maintaining the CSMA/CD Ethernet protocol. Since
the 100Mbps Fast Ethernet is compatible with all

2

other 10Mbps Ethernet environments, it provides a
straightforward upgrade and takes advantage of the
existing investment in hardware, software, and
personnel training.

Switching Technology

Another approach to pushing beyond the limits of
Ethernet technology is the development of switching
technology. A switch bridges Ethernet packets at the
MAC address level of the Ethernet protocol
transmitting among connected Ethernet or Fast
Ethernet LAN segments.

Switching is a cost-effective way of increasing the total
network capacity available to users on a local area
network. A switch increases capacity and decreases
network loading by dividing a local area network into
different segments, which don’t compete with each
other for network transmission capacity.

The switch acts as a high-speed selective bridge
between the individual segments. The switch, without
interfering with any other segments, automatically
forwards traffic that needs to go from one segment to
another. By doing this the total network capacity is
multiplied, while still maintaining the same network
cabling and adapter cards.

3

For Fast Ethernet networks, a switch is an effective
way of eliminating problems of chaining hubs beyond
the “two-repeater limit.” A switch can be used to split
parts of the network into different collision domains,
making it possible to expand your Fast Ethernet
network beyond the 205-meter network diameter limit
for 100BASE-TX networks. Switches supporting both
traditional 10Mbps Ethernet and 100Mbps Fast
Ethernet are also ideal for bridging between the
existing 10Mbps networks and the new 100Mbps
networks.

Switching LAN technology is a marked improvement
over the previous generation of network bridges,
which were characterized by higher latencies. Routers
have also been used to segment local area networks,
but the cost of a router, the setup and maintenance
required make routers relatively impractical. Today
switches are an ideal solution to most kinds of local
area network congestion problems.

4

Features

The Switches were designed for easy installation and
high performance in an environment where traffic on
the network and the number of users increase
continuously.

The Switches with their small, compact size were
specifically designed for small to middle range
workgroups. These Switches can be installed where
space is limited; moreover, they provide immediate
access to a rapidly growing network through a wide
range of user-reliable functions.

The Switches are ideal for deployment with multiple
high-speed servers for shared bandwidth 10Mbps or
100Mbps workgroups. With the highest bandwidth
200Mbps (100Mbps full-duplex mode), any port can
provide workstations with a congestion-free data pipe
for simultaneous access to the server.

The Switches are expandable by cascading two or
more switches together. As all ports support
200Mbps, the Switches can be cascaded from any port
and to any number of switches.

The Switches are a perfect choice for site planning to
upgrade to Fast Ethernet in the future. Ethernet

5

workgroups can connect to the Switches now, and
change adapters and hubs anytime later without
needing to change the Switches or reconfigure the
network.

The Switches combine dynamic memory allocation
with store-and-forward switching to ensure that the
buffer is effectively allocated for each port, while
controlling the data flow between the transmit and
receive nodes to guarantee against all possible packet
loss.

The Switches are an unmanaged 10/100 Fast Ethernet
Switch that offers solutions in accelerating small
Ethernet workgroup bandwidth. Other key features
are:

Uplink/ MDI-II (media dependent interface) port
for uplink to another switch, hub or repeater.

Store and forward switching scheme capability. As
the result of complete frame checking and error
frame filtering, this scheme prevents error
packages from transmitting among segments.

NWay Auto-negotiation for any port. This allows
for auto-sensing of speed (10/100Mbps) thereby
providing you with automatic and flexible solutions
for your network connections.

6

Flow control for any port. This minimizes dropped
packets by sending out collision signals when the
port’s receiving buffer is full. Note that flow
control is only available in half duplex mode.

Data forwarding rate per port is at wire-speed for
100Mbps speed.

Data forwarding rate per port is at wire-speed for
10Mbps speed.

Data filtering rate eliminates all error packets,
runts, etc., per port at wire-speed for 100Mbps
speed.

Data filtering rate eliminates all error packets,
runts, etc., per port at wire-speed for 10Mbps
speed.

Up to 8K active MAC address entry table per port
with self-learning and table-aging for 8-port model.

512 KB RAM buffer per device for 8-port model.

UNPACKING AND SETUP

This chapter provides unpacking and setup
information for the Switch.

7

Unpacking

Open the shipping carton of the Switch and carefully
unpack its contents. The carton should contain the
following items:

One 8-port 10/100M NWay Fast Ethernet Switch

One external power adapter

This User’s Guide

If any item is found missing or damaged, please
contact your dealer for replacement.

Setup

The setup of the Switch can be performed using the
following steps:

The surface (e.g. table top) must support at least

1.5 kg for the Switch’s weight.

The power outlet should be within 1.82 meters (6
feet) of the Switch.

Visually inspect the DC power jack and make sure
that it is fully secured to the power adapter.

8

Make sure that there is proper heat dissipation and
adequate ventilation around the Switch. Do not
place heavy objects on the Switch.

9

IDENTIFYING EXTERNAL COMPONENTS

This section identifies all the major external
components of the hub. Both the front and rear panels
are shown, followed by a description of each panel
feature. The indicator panel is described in detail in
the next chapter.

Front Panel

The figure below shows the front panel of the switch.

8-port Fast Ethernet 10/100M NWay Switch

LED Indicator Panel

Refer to the LED Indicator section for detailed

information about each of the hub’s LED
indicators.

Rear Panel

10

8-port Fast Ethernet 10/100M NWay Switch

DC Power Jack: Power is supplied through an

external AC power adapter. Check the technical
specification section for information about the AC
power input voltage.

Since the switch does not include a power switch,
plugging its power adapter into a power outlet will
immediately power it on.

MDI-X Jacks: Use these jacks to connect stations
to the hub. These are MDI-X (Medium-Dependent
Interface, Cross-wired) jacks, which mean, you can
use ordinary straight-through twisted-pair cables
to connect user machines and servers to the hub
through them. If you need to connect another
device with an MDI-X jack, such as another hub or
an Ethernet switch, you should use a crossover
cable, or make the connection using the MDI-X
jack (described below). For more information about
crossover connections.

11

Uplink Jack(s) (MDI-II): Use this jack to connect

stations to the hub. This is MDI-II (Medium-

dependent Interface, straight-wired) jack, which
means you can connect the hub to a device with a

MDI-X port using an ordinary straight-through

cable, making a crossover cable unnecessary.

12

LED Indicators

Power Indicator (PWR)

This indicator lights green when the hub is

receiving power, otherwise, it is off.

Full/Half Duplex, 10/100M Collision
(FDX10/100(green), COLL 10/100(amber))

This LED indicator lights green when a respective

port is in full duplex (FDX) mode. Otherwise, it is
OFF for half duplex (HDX) operation. It will blink
amber when collisions are occurring on the
respective port.

100M Link/Activity, 10M Link/Activity
(100M LINK/ACT(green), 10LINK/ACT(amber))

This indicator lights green when the port is

connected to a 100Mbps Fast Ethernet station. It
also blinks green when transmitting or receiving
data on the 100Mbps network. Otherwise, if the
indicator lights amber, then the port is connected
to a 10Mbps Ethernet station, and blinks amber
when transmitting or receiving data on the 10Mbps
network.

No light represents no connection.

13

CONNECTING THE SWITCH

This chapter describes how to connect the Switch to
your Fast Ethernet network. In each of the following
figures, the 8-port 10/100M NWay Fast Ethernet
Switch is shown.

PC to Switch

A PC can be connected to the Switch via a two-pair
Category 3, 4, 5 UTP/STP straight cable (Cat.5 must
be used for 100Mbps). The PC (equipped with a RJ-45
10/100Mbps phone jack) should be connected to any of
the 8 ports (1x - 8x) of the 8-port Switch.

The LED indicators for the PC connection are
dependent on the LAN card capabilities. If LED
indicators are not lit after making a proper connection,
check the PC LAN card, the cable, the Switch
conditions and connections.

The following are LED indicator possibilities for a PC
to Switch connection:

1. The 100LINK/ACT, 10LINK/ACT LED

indicator lights green for hookup to 100Mbps
speed or lights amber for hookup to 10Mbps

14

speed.

2. The FDX 10/100, COLL 10/100 LED indicator

depends upon LAN card capabilities for full­duplex or half-duplex.

Hub to Switch

A hub (10 or 100BASE-TX) can be connected to the
Switch via a two-pair Category 3, 4, 5 UTP/STP
straight cable (Cat.5 must be used for 100Mbps). The
connection is accomplished from the hub uplink (MDI­II) port to any of the Switch (MDI-X) ports: 1x - 8x for
the 8-port 10/100 Fast Ethernet Switch.

A. 10BASE-T Hub

For a 10BASE-T hub, the Switch LED indicators
should light up as the following:

1. FDX 10/100, COLL 10/100 LED indicator is

OFF.

2. 100LINK/ACT, 10LINK/ACT LED indicator is

lit amber.

B. 100BASE-TX Hub

For a 100BASE-TX hub, the Switch LED indicators

15

should light up as the following:

1. FDX 10/100, COLL 10/100 LED indicator is

OFF.

2. 100LINK/ACT, 10LINK/ACT LED indicator is

lit green.

Hub without Uplink (MDI-II) port

If a hub is not equipped with an uplink (MDI-II) port,
connection can be made using either straight cable or
crossover cable.

A. Using straight cable

When using straight cable, the connection can be made
from the uplink (MDI-II) port of the Switch to any port
of the Hub.

B. Using crossover cable

When using crossover cable, the connection can be
made from any ports of the Switch to any port of the
Hub.

Switch to Switch (other devices)

The Switch can be connected to another switch or
other devices (routers, bridges, etc.) via a two-pair

16

Category 3, 4, 5 UTP/STP straight or crossover cable
(Cat.5 must be used for 100Mbps).

A. Using straight cable

When using straight cable, this is done from the
uplink (MDI-II) port of the Switch (Switch A) to any of
the 10Mbps or 100Mbps (MDI-X) ports of the other
switch (switch B) or other devices.

B. Using crossover cable

When using crossover cable, this is done from any
(MDI-X) port of the Switch (Switch A) to any of the
10Mbps, 100Mbps (MDI-X) ports of the other switch
(switch B) or other device.

1. The 100LINK/ACT, 10LINK/ACT LED

indicator lights green for hookup to 100Mbps
speed or lights amber for hookup to 10Mbps
speed.

2. The FDX 10/100, COLL 10/100 LED indicator

depends upon LAN card capabilities for full­duplex or half-duplex

Port Speed & Duplex Mode

After plugging the selected cable to a specific port, the
system uses auto-negotiation to determine the

17

transmission mode for any new twisted-pair
connection:

If the attached device does not support auto­negotiation or has auto-negotiation disabled, an

auto-sensing process is initiated to select the speed
and set the duplex mode to half-duplex.

19

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

General

Standards IEEE 802.3 10Base-T Ethernet

IEEE 802.3u 100 Base-TX Fast Ethernet

ANSI/IEEE Std 802.3 NWay auto-negotiation

Protocol CSMA/CD

Data
Transfer
Rate

Ethernet: 10Mbps (half duplex), 20Mbps (full

duplex)

Fast Ethernet: 100Mbps (half duplex), 200Mbps

(full duplex)

Topology Star

General

Network
Cables

10BASET: 2-pair UTP Cat. 3,4,5 (100 m), EIA/TIA-

568 100-ohm STP (100 m)

100BASE-TX: 2-pair UTP Cat. 5 (100 m), EIA/TIA-

568 100-ohm STP (100 m)

Number
of Ports

8-port: 8 x 10/100Mbps ports

Uplink
Port

MDI-II RJ-45 shared with port * 1

20

Physical and Environmental

DC inputs DC12V/1.5A

Power
Consumption

18 watt. (max.)

Temperature Operating: 0° ~ 50° C, Storage: -10° ~ 70° C

Humidity Operating: 10% ~ 90%, Storage: 5% ~ 90%

Dimensions 171 x 98 x 29 mm (W x H x D)

EMI: FCC Class B, CE Mark B, VCCI-II

Performance

Transmissi
Method:

Store-and-forward

RAM Buffer: 8-port: 512Kbytes per device

Filtering
Address
Table:

8-port: Up to 8K entries per device

Packet
Filtering/For
warding Rate:

10Mbps Ethernet: 14,880/pps

100Mbps Fast Ethernet: 148,800/pps

MAC Address
Learning:

Automatic update

21

RJ-45 PIN SPECIFICATION

When connecting your 8-port 10/100M NWay Fast
Ethernet Switch to another switch, a bridge or a hub, a
modified crossover cable is necessary. Please review
these products for matching cable pin assignment.

The following diagram and tables show the standard
RJ-45 receptacle/connector and their pin assignments
for the switch-to-network adapter card connection, and
the straight / crossover cable for the Switch-to­switch/hub/bridge connection.

RJ-45 Connector pin assignment

Contact Media Direct Interface Signal

1 TX + (transmit)
2 TX - (transmit)
3 Rx + (receive)
4 Not used
5 Not used
6 Rx - (receive)
7 Not used
8 Not used

The standard cable, RJ-45 pin assignment

22

The standard RJ-45 receptacle/connector

The following shows straight cable and crossover cable
connection:

Straight cable for Switch (uplink MDI-II port) to

switch/Hub or other devices connection

Crossover cable for Switch (MDI-X port) to

switch/hub or other network devices (MDI-X port)

connection