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The latency (the time the frame spends in the Switch before it is sent along or forwarded to its
destination) of the Quad-Series switches varies with the port-speed types, and the length of the frame is a
variable here as it is with all store-and-forward switches. For 10Mbps-to-10Mbps or 10Mbps-to-100Mbps
or 100Mbps-to-10Mbps forwarding, the latency is 15 microseconds plus the packet time at 10Mbps. For
100Mbps-to-100Mbps forwarding, the latency is 5 microseconds plus the packet time at 100Mbps.
2.3
Features and Benefits
100Mbps switching services for large, high performance Ethernet LANs
ProSwitch Quad-Series switches provide Fast Ethernet switching on all ports. They perform
high-speed filter/forward operations on the traffic, giving each port's segment a full 100Mbps (or
10Mbps) of bandwidth.
Configurable with fiber ports, all connector types and speeds
Quad-port modules are available with 100Mbps mm ST, SC, VF-45, MTRJ singlemode SC, and
10Mbps ST-type connectors. The configuration of the fiber ports, in the factory or in the field,
allows the Quad-Series switches to adapt to mixed and changing fiber types in any application.
Configurable with RJ45 (copper) ports, 10/100 auto-negotiation
RJ45 Quad-port modules provide twisted pair segment connections, with N-way auto-negotiation
or with manual speed and mode settings per port.
Mixed-media configurations for maximum flexibility
Combinations of port module types can be configured in the same unit, adapting the Quad-Series
switches to varying quantities and types of fiber vs. copper media. Port module changes can be
done in the field.
Full-duplex or Half-duplex operation, auto-sensing
All fiber and RJ45 (copper) ports are capable of half- or full-duplex, individually selected. All
RJ45 ports support 10/100 auto-negotiation, or can be user-selected for the desired operating
mode and speed.
16-port, 12-port, 8-port and 4-port models
With two chassis sizes (16-port and 8-port) configurable with 4-port modules, capacity options
complement the mixed-media configurability.
Plug-and-Play installation for high performance switching
ProSwitch Quad-Series switches are self-learning for node addresses. They can be placed into
operation without complex set-up procedures, even in large networks. They operate transparent
to system software.
Front-mounted LEDs, world-wide AC power supply
Front panel LED's on each quad-port module display the status of each port for easy monitoring.
An internal auto-ranging AC power supply allows any ProSwitch Quad-Series switches to be
used throughout the world.
2.4
Applications
ProSwitch Quad-Series Mixed-Media switches offer high performance and flexibility, and are
easily used in a variety of applications including client/server computing, performance upgrades of
departmental networks, and collapsed backbone applications. The Dual-Speed characteristic of the
ProSwitch Quad-Series Fiber Switches
Installation and User Guide
Quad-Series switches enables them to inter-connect a series of subnets (one subnet per Q-Series
switch) in a LAN traffic center. The subnet connections may be via either fiber or twisted pair cabling, and
may be 100Mbps or 10Mbps speed and full-or half-duplex mode.
The mixed-media capability is ideal for upgrading existing Ethernet LAN networks, where existing
cabling must be accommodated. The fiber-built-in media capability is ideal for integrating future-proof
fiber cabling into the LAN structure.
Example 1: ProSwitch-QS580
In a typical 10Mbps network performance upgrade, some existing cascaded 10Mbps hubs
connect a group of users who share one 10Mbps traffic domain. The ProSwitch-QS580 provides eight
10/100Mbps traffic domains for increased performance. It can segment 10Mbps and 100Mbps units,
hubs and servers, in the existing network into multiple domains, providing greatly increased bandwidth. In
this case, two 100Mbps fiber connections are required to connect to more distant LAN centers, and a
configuration with two "combo" 3@RJ45 + 1@fiber-built-in QPMs is used.
The ProSwitch-QS580 provides complete network connectivity so that all 10Mbps and 100Mbps
nodes operate in a unified manner, functioning as one plug-and-play switched network facility. It filters
and forwards packets from one segment to another, containing the local traffic and allowing only the
packets, which need to be forwarded to go outside to the appropriate other segments. This is ideal for a
central departmental switch in a high-performance LAN center
Example 2: ProSwitch 8-port QS5108
In another application, a switch is needed to provide a Fast Ethernet backbone. The backbone
consists of four high-speed LAN segments, each operating over 100Mbps full-duplex fiber lines. In
addition to interconnecting the fiber backbone segments in the network center, the switch needs to
provide high-speed switched support for two central servers, for a 100Mbps connection to a router, and
for a dual-speed hub or switch serving a local workgroup of over a dozen users, printers, etc.
The ProSwitch-QS5108 equipped with one fiber and one RJ45 quad-port modules provides an
economical solution, configured with 8-switched ports (four 100Mbps fiber and four 10/100 RJ45) in a
rack-mount box. No Media Converters are needed. The Fiber QPM can be selected to provide any
100Mbps fiber media connector type desired. QPMs with multimode or singlemode fiber types are
available.
This requirement for connecting local devices over twisted pair cabling is handled by the
ProSwitch-QS5108 using a 4-port RJ45 Quad-Port Module. The QPM provides a switched port for two
local high-speed servers, another for the router, another for the users connecting into a 16-port dual-
speed hub or switch.
Since 100Mbps fiber Ethernet has severe distance limitations at half-duplex, it is necessary in
high-speed backbones to operate fiber links in the full-duplex mode. Many low-end switches that only
have RJ45 N-way 10/100Mbps ports would need to have a media converter on each fiber line. But most
media converters do not support auto-negotiation and would not enable the fiber backbone lines to
operate full duplex. But the ProSwitch-QS5108 handles this application readily, with its built-in switched
fiber ports at 100Mbps speed, full-duplex mode as a default setting on fiber ports, and with RJ45 N-way
10/100Mbps ports.
Example 3: ProSwitch 16-port QS5116
In another situation similar to Example 2 above, a larger central switch is needed to provide for a
6-segment 100Mbps fiber Fast Ethernet backbone, and switched copper support for 4 high-speed local
servers. In addition, the router and two dual-speed hubs or switches need switched copper ports. The
total is 14 ports, 6 fiber and 8 copper.
The mixed-media flexibility of the ProSwitch Quad-Port switches provides the user with more than
one configuration in this case. The two ports not immediately used may be either fiber or copper. If the
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ProSwitch Quad-Series Fiber Switches
Installation and User Guide
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