The FastHub 116C is a 100Base-T compatible, standalone, 16-port, unmanaged, Class II Fast Ethernet repeater. Ports 1 through 15 support the 100Base-TX physical layer, and port 16 supports the 100Base-FX physical layer.
Figure 1-1: FastHub 116C Repeater
The FastHub 116C allows 100Base-TX devices to be connected to a 100Base-FX backbone. The hub provides standards-based, 100-Mbps Ethernet performance for centralized server farms and power workgroups, and can act as a high-speed backbone for switch-based networks. The 100Base-TX ports provide connectivity to devices using Category 5 unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cabling. The 100Base-FX port provides fiber optic connectivity over an extended distance with greater noise immunity.
The FastHub 116C operates in a manner similar to that of a standard 10Base-T repeater. A packet received on any one of the 16 Fast Ethernet ports is transmitted, or repeated, out the other 15 ports. Visual indicators show port activity in megabits per second (Mbps), the FastHub 116C collision rate, and link, receive and disabled status on a per-port basis.
With a mix of fiber and UTP connectivity, the FastHub 116C allows 100Base-TX devices to connect to 100Base-FX backbones. The features of FastHub 116C can be summarized as follows:
- Compatible with the 100Base-TX and 100Base-FX draft standards for interoperability with other 100Base-TX and 100Base-FX products.
- 100-Mbps peak and aggregate throughput for high-performance data transfers.
- Low port-to-port latency (.45 microseconds) minimizes delay during data transfers.
- 100Base-TX media interface for direct connections to two-pair, Category 5 UTP cabling.
- 100Base-FX media interface for direct connection to multimode fiber-optic cabling.
- The 16-port configuration meets node-number requirements for centralized servers and switch aggregation as well as power workgroups.
- Each port is supported by three LEDs showing link integrity, receive activity, and whether the port is enabled or disabled, for easy visual management. A collision indicator is also present for the entire hub.
- Logarithmic activity meter LEDs show average throughput in Mbps for gauging network load and performance at a glance.
- No software to load or configure simplifies installation.
- Reset button is easy to reach but recessed to avoid accidental system reset.
All network connectors and LEDs are on the FastHub 116C front panel for easy access and viewing. FastHub 116C ports and LEDs are described in the following sections.
The 16 100Base-T ports provide 100 Mbps of bandwidth for connection to servers, workstations, switches, routers or other 100Base-T devices.
Figure 1-2: FastHub 116C Fast Ethernet Ports
Ports 1 through 15 support direct connection to any 100Base-TX compatible hub, switch or adapter using two-pairs of Category 5 UTP cabling. Port 16 supports a fiber connection to another 100Base-FX compatible device using multimode fiber-optic cabling.
FastHub 116C has a comprehensive set of LEDs that allow for easy visual management of the hub. The LEDs, shown in Figure 1-3, operate as follows:
Figure 1-3: FastHub 116C Front Panel
- This LED lights if the FastHub 116C is turned on. If the LED does not light, refer to the "Troubleshooting" chapter.
- The link LED indicates that the port is properly connected to a powered-on device. The LED is on when the link-integrity test passes and off when the link-integrity test fails.
- Receive activity on each port is indicated by the receive LEDs. The receive LEDs blink upon packet receipt regardless of the status of the port--even if the port is disabled. These LEDs are on continuously when traffic levels are high. They are off when there are no packets being received on the port.
- The disabled LED is off unless a jabber or autopartition error is detected. These errors, as defined in the IEEE 802.3 100Base-T specification, cause the LED to blink on. There is one disabled LED per port.
- The collision LED provides a single visual indication of the frequency of collisions for all 16 ports. Packets received simultaneously on two or more ports will result in a collision and light the LED. The LED is off when there are no collisions.
- The activity meter LEDs, the meanings of which are listed in Table 1-1, display current bandwidth activity and allow you to measure the utilization of the hub at a glance. The LEDs are updated based on the activity as measured in Mbps. The measurement is averaged over a period of 100 milliseconds.
Table 1-1: Activity Meter LED Information
| LED
| Mbps Activity
|
|---|
| Far left (1)
| 1+
|
|
| 5+
|
|
| 10+
|
|
| 15+
|
|
| 20+
|
|
| 25+
|
|
| 35+
|
|
| 50+
|
|
| 75+
|
| Far right (10)
| 100
|
The reset switch has the same effect as turning the FastHub 116C off and on again. To reset the FastHub 116C, push a thin implement into the hole.
The power switch, power receptacle, and fuse are located on the rear panel as shown in Figure 1-4.
Figure 1-4: FastHub 116C Rear Panel
The power switch turns the FastHub 116C on and off without removing the power cord.
The FastHub 116C power supply is an auto-ranging unit supporting input voltages between 100-200 VAC. Plug the power cord into the power receptacle located on the rear panel.
The fuse is located under the power receptacle. Replace the fuse with a 3-amp, 250-volt fuse only.
