Making Network Connections; Connecting To 1000Base-T Devices - Fujitsu PRIMERGY BX900 User Manual

4

Making Network Connections

The Ethernet Connection Blade connects server boards installed inside the system to a common switch
fabric and also provides several external ports for uplinking to external IEEE 802.3ab compliant devices.
For most applications, the external ports on the Ethernet Connection Blade will be connected to other
switches in the network backbone. It may also be connected directly to Gigabit Ethernet network cards in
PCs or servers.
Before connecting cables, you may want to first configure the Spanning Tree Protocol to
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avoid network loops. Refer to "Spanning Tree Protocol Configuration" section for more
information.
4.1

Connecting to 1000BASE-T Devices

The data ports on the switch operate at 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps and 1000 Mbps, full and half duplex, with
support for auto-negotiation of seed, duplex mode and flow control. You can connect any data port on
the switch to any server or workstation, or uplink to a network device such as another switch or a router.
The 1000BASE-T standard uses four pairs of Category 5 twisted-pair cable for connections up to a
maximum length of 100m (328 feet).
For 1000 Mbps operation, you should first test the cable installation for IEEE 802.3ab
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1000BASE-T compliance. See "1000BASE-T Cable Requirements" for more information.
1. Prepare the devices you wish to network. For 1000 Mbps operation, make sure that servers and
workstations have installed 1000BASE-T network interface cards. Other network device should have
RJ-45 ports that comply with the IEEE 802.3ab 1000BASE-T standard.
2. Prepare shielded or unshielded twisted-pair cables (straight-through or crossover) with RJ-45 plugs
at both ends. Use 100-ohm Category 5 (Category 5e or better is recommended) cable for 1000 Mbps
Gigabit Ethernet connections.
3. Connect one end of the cable to the RJ-45 port on the other device, and the other end to any
available RJ-45 port on the switch. When inserting an RJ-45 plug, be sure the tab on the plug clicks
into position to ensure that it is properly seated.
DO NOT plug a phone jack connector into any RJ-45 port. This may damage the Ethernet
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Connection Blade. Instead, use only twisted-pair cables with RJ-45 connectors that conform
to FCC standards.
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