Switch Architecture; Power-Over-Ethernet Capability; Network Management Options - SMC Networks EZ Switch SMCGS8P-Smart Installation Manual

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Introduction

Switch Architecture

The switch employs a wire-speed, non-blocking switching fabric. This permits
simultaneous wire-speed transport of multiple packets at low latency on all ports.
The switch also features full-duplex capability on all ports, which effectively doubles
the bandwidth of each connection.
The switch uses store-and-forward switching to ensure maximum data integrity. With
store-and-forward switching, the entire packet must be received into a buffer and
checked for validity before being forwarded. This prevents errors from being
propagated throughout the network.

Power-over-Ethernet Capability

The switch's 8 10/100/1000 Mbps ports support the IEEE 802.3af
Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) standard that enables DC power to be supplied to
attached devices using wires in the connecting Ethernet cable. Any 802.3af
compliant device attached to a port can directly draw power from the switch over the
Ethernet cable without requiring its own separate power source. This capability gives
network administrators centralized power control for devices such as IP phones and
wireless access points, which translates into greater network availability.
For each attached 802.3af-compliant device, the switch automatically senses the
load and dynamically supplies the required power. Independent overload and
short-circuit protection for each port allows the switch to automatically shut down a
port's power when limits are exceeded.
Port 1 on the switch can provide up to 25 W of power to an attached device at the
standard 48 DC voltage. Ports 2-8 can provide up to 15.4 W of power. However, all
ports can only provide up to 7.5 W of power when connected to PoE devices
simultaneously.

Network Management Options

The switch contains a comprehensive array of LEDs for "at-a-glance" monitoring of
network and port status. They also include a management agent that allows you to
configure or monitor the switch using its embedded management software.
For a detailed description of switch's advanced features, refer to the Management
Guide.
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