HP ProCurve 408 Installation Manual page 31

Troubleshooting
Basic Troubleshooting Tips
appendix B, "Cables and Connectors" for pinouts and correct
cable wiring. A category 5 cable tester is a recommended tool for
every 100Base-T network installation.
Improper Network Topologies. It is important to make sure
you have a valid network topology. Common topology faults
include excessive cable length and too many repeaters (hubs)
between end nodes. If you have network problems after recent
changes to the network, change back to the previous topology. If
you no longer experience the problems, the new topology is
probably at fault. Refer to the Network Design Guide for topology
configuration guidelines. This guide can be found online at the
HP World Wide Web site for networking products, http://
www.hp.com/go/procurve. You can find it quickly by searching
for "Network Design Guide".
In addition, you should make sure that your network topology
contains no data path loops. Between any two end nodes, there
should be only one active cabling path at any time. Data path
loops will cause broadcast storms that will severely impact your
network performance.
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