10Base-T Twisted-Pair Ethernet Link Test; Overview - Sun Microsystems Ultra 2 Series Reference Manual

2
C H A P T E R
10BASE-T Twisted-Pair
Ethernet Link Test
Read this chapter if you are connecting your Ultra 2 Series system to a 10BASE-T
twisted-pair Ethernet (TPE) network. This chapter contains important information
for getting your system to communicate correctly over a TPE network. If you have
no experience with TPE networks, ask your system or network administrator to
perform the procedures in this chapter.
Note –
This chapter does not apply to 100BASE-T networks. In such networks, the
link test function must be enabled at both the host and the hub. If your host is
connected to a 100BASE-T network, you must not disable the host link test function.
2.1

Overview

The twisted-pair Ethernet link integrity test is a function defined by the IEEE
802.3 10BASE-T specification.
For a networked workstation (host) to communicate with a network hub, the link
test state (enabled or disabled) must be the same on the host and hub.
If either the host or hub does not share the link test enabled/disabled state of the
other, then the host cannot communicate effectively with the hub, and the hub
cannot communicate effectively with the host.
The following figure gives an example of a star configuration local area network
(LAN), showing the relationship of hosts to a hub.
FIGURE 2-2
match in a 10BASE-T network.
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shows the importance of ensuring that the host and hub link test settings
2-1