3Com 3C16751A - Manual (Page 5)

5
I NTRODUCTION
Welcome to the world of networking with 3Com ® . In the
modern business environment, communication and sharing
information is crucial. Computer networks have proved to
be one of the fastest modes of communication but, until
recently, only large businesses could afford the networking
advantage. The OfficeConnect
® product range from 3Com
has changed this, bringing networks to the small office.
The OfficeConnect Dual Speed Hub 16 is ideal for creating
small networks. It is compact and attractively designed for
desktop use and can be used with other OfficeConnect
products. This product forms part of the OfficeConnect
range which neatly stack together with the OfficeConnect
stacking clip.
The OfficeConnect Dual Speed Hub 16 is an easy-to-use
Class II hub (repeater) with sixteen 10/100BASE-TX ports. It
allows you to set up a network with both Ethernet
(10Mbps) and Fast Ethernet (100Mbps) workstations and
other devices (a Class II hub can be connected to another
Fast Ethernet hub, a Class I hub cannot).
When referring to the OfficeConnect Dual Speed Hub 16,
this guide uses the term ‘Hub’. Each port on the Hub can
be connected to either a 10BASE-T (Ethernet) or a
100BASE-TX (Fast Ethernet) device. The port senses the
speed of the connected equipment and operates at the
appropriate speed.
If you wish to extend an existing Ethernet network into Fast
Ethernet, adding a Dual Speed Hub 16 can offer a more
cost-effective migration path than adding both a 100Mbps
hub and a 10/100Mbps switch.
Figure 1 Small Network With OfficeConnect Hub
If you need to connect more workstations, simply use the
stacking clip to connect another OfficeConnect hub to form
a stack.
OfficeConnect
Dual Speed Hub 16
10Mbps 100Mbps
3C16751_booklet.book Page 5 Tuesday, July 13, 1999 11:29 AM