3Com 100 TX - Manual (Page 11)

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I
NTRODUCTION
The LinkBuilder ® FMS ™ 100-TX Hub is a member of the 3Com ® SuperStack ™
system of stackable network devices. The 100 designation refers to
100BASE-T Fast Ethernet, which is an extension of the Ethernet IEEE 802.3
specifications. The 100BASE-T specification supports the following 100 Mbps
media options:
■
100BASE-TX (two-pair Category 5 UTP cabling)
■
100BASE-T4 (four-pair Category 3, 4, or 5 UTP cabling)
■
100BASE-FX (two-strand fiber cabling)
The LinkBuilder FMS 100-TX Hub complies with the definition of a
Class I repeater provided in the IEEE 802.3 standard. Refer to the section
“Classification of Repeaters” in Chapter 3 for a description of the IEEE 802.3
repeater classification.
This guide discusses the LinkBuilder FMS 100-TX Hub and the 100BASE-TX
and 100BASE-FX transceiver interface modules.
General
Description The LinkBuilder FMS 100-TX Hub, which functions as a network repeater and
supports 100 Mbps connectivity, has 12 dedicated RJ-45 twisted-pair ports on
its front panel, as shown in Figure 1-1. A media-flexible transceiver interface
module port on the hub’s rear panel is designated the thirteenth port.