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Chapter 1
Congratulations on your purchase of the NETGEAR
switch or the Model SW507 7-Port 10/100 Mbps Ethernet switch. These switches are part of the
NETGEAR 500 Series product family. The switches allow simultaneous transmission of multiple
packets through an internal high-speed data channel and can partition a network more efficiently than
bridges or routers in most environments.
This guide is for individuals who have the following background and experience:
•
Working knowledge of basic Ethernet and network management concepts and terminology
•
Familiarity with the 10BASE-T and 100BASE-T specifications
•
Working knowledge of tools and procedures for installing and operating sensitive electronic
equipment
Overview of the Switch
The Model SW502 and Model SW507 switches both increase bandwidth. To provide 10 Mbps
transmission, the Model SW502 switch provides one RJ-45 station port and the Model SW507 switch
provides up to six RJ-45 ports. Both switches have a 10/100 Mbps port that creates a high-throughput
connection to a backbone or server. In addition to partitioning an overloaded network, these switches
provide a link between traditional 10BASE-T and the faster 100BASE-TX networks. The switches
can be configured to operate in either full-duplex or half-duplex data transfer mode to support the
interconnection requirements of other high-speed devices.
The switches incorporate a non-blocking cross-bar switching matrix that allows simultaneous
transport of multiple packets across the switching hub. Up to seven switching paths can be established
at the same time, with each path crossing two ports. This switching hub performs switching that sends
a packet to the appropriate port according to the destination address scanned from the packet header.
This technique reduces the latency of packet transmission to 20 µ s or less. Compared to
approximately 800 µ s for a bridge or 1800 µ s for a router, both of which must store the entire packet
before it can be forwarded, the Model SW502 and Model SW507 switches deliver a major
improvement in the performance of your network.
As a device functioning on the media access control (MAC) layer, the Model SW502 and Model
SW507 switches are protocol-independent, and are compatible with IEEE802.3, IEEE802.3u, TCP/IP,
NetWare, DECnet, and XNS protocols. They can be easily configured in most environments as a
standalone device to form a workgroup consisting of two to seven subnetworks or workstations, as a
Introduction
Introduction
™
Model SW502 2-Port 10/100 Mbps Ethernet
1-1
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