Amer Networks C110W - Manual (Page 3)

Getting Started
This manual discusses three Network Interface Cards. The model
numbers C1, C10s, and C110w are part of the Amer.com family of
desktop Personal Computer(PC) network adapters. The information
provided in this manual is applicable to all three adapters, and at
particular points, the differentiating elements between them will be
mentioned.
The C1 and C10s Network Interface Cards are designed for 10Mbps
Ethernet. Both cards have one thin coax(BNC) and one Twisted-
Pair(RJ-45) port. The C1 supports ISA bus computers while the C10s
supports PCI bus computers.
The C110w Network Interface Card is designed for 10 or 100Mbps
transfer speeds. It has one auto-detecting Twisted-Pair(RJ-45) port that
supports both 10Base-T Ethernet and 100Base-TX Fast Ethernet.
Before you install the C1 or C10s hardware, confirm the type of adapter
you have -- that it matches your PC’s bus architecture -- and decide
whether you'll use thin coax or Twisted-Pair(10BaseT) cable. For the
PCI compliant C110w, the adapter will auto-detect (10Mbps or
100Mbps) the network connection using 10/100NWay auto-negotiation
when connected to the Twisted-Pair cable. If connecting directly to a
switching device rather than a shared hub, the card will also adjust
duplex mode (half-duplex, being one-way-at-a-time, or full duplex, being
simultaneous transmit-and-receive).
Thin coax cabling looks similar to the copper coaxial cable that is often
used to connect a VCR to a TV set. Twisted-Pair cabling resembles
ordinary telephone cables. The difference between network cable and
telephone cable is that network complies to higher standards of
telecommunication approval, except that it has between 6 and 8 wires
inside instead of 4, and they're usually twisted every 2 inches (5 cm)
together inside to help reduce interference.
Thin coax cabling is often used to create a network "backbone" of
computers. PCs are chained together in a long line. A cable goes
from the first PC to the second; a second cable goes from the second
PC to the third, and so forth to a maximum of 30 computers per line.
No matter how many computers are connected together, thin coax
always requires termination at both ends of the network, which is the
act of "plugging up" the network so that no information is damaged and
becomes discarded. Instead of inserting an incoming coax (also
known as 10Base-2) cable directly into each PC's network card, a T-
connector is placed on the back of the adapter (Diag. Pg. 7) instead,
splitting the network card's input port into two separate ports. One port
receives an incoming network cable; the other
receives an outgoing network cable.
If the PC is at the end
of the network chain,
a terminator plug is
inserted into the empty
leg of the T-connector.
Twisted-Pair cabling is great for small offices with walls, partitions, or
modular situations where computers may be moved around. Twisted-
Pair cable cannot be used to connect PCs together without the use of
a hub. A hub is a central wiring device with RJ-45 ports. Each PC has
its own twisted-pair cable that connects its network card to the hub.
Because all of the cables from the PCs converge and terminate at the
hub's central location, a Twisted-Pair
network is often referred to as a star
configuration (compare this to
thin coax's backbone
configuration sometimes
referred to as a bus
configuration).
C110w C10s C1
Backplates
and their
connectors
10BASE-T
or Thin coax
ISA
16bit
10BASE-T
or Thin coax
PCI
32bit
10BASE-T
or 100BASE-TX
Auto-detect
PCI
32bit
Type of
cabling
PC Bus
Architecture
3 2
BNC
connector
RJ-45
connector