HUBS, SWITCHES, 10/100, GIGABIT, LAYER 3 SWITCHING
 

Today, your desktop population probably requires a mix of 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps service to meet the individual demands of your users. As you deliver higher speeds to the desktop, server connections may become strained, so you need options to scale to Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet for high-speed desktop and server connections as well as in the backbone. 10/100 Ethernet/Fast Ethernet with autosensing capability is one of the most economical and flexible ways to add bandwidth immediately-while maintaining migration options to higher bandwidth in the future. 10/100 technology combines conventional 10BASE-T and high-speed 100BASE-TX support in one device, delivering higher bandwidth to thE desktop, aggregating 10/100 hubs, and maintaining the status quo for those who are efficiently served by 10 Mbps Ethernet. With 10/100 autosensing functionality, there is no need toconfigure individual switched ports. The switch automatically senses the speed of the connected end device (either 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps) and channels the data through at the appropriate speed.  Gigabit Ethernet retains the traditional simplicity and manageability of Ethernet and Fast Ethernet, making it easy to integrate with existing LAN equipment. It allows a tenfold increase in backbone bandwidth over Fast Ethernet with minimal impact on support staff. The extra bandwidth helps you deal with unplanned changes and additions to the network, and frees you from constantly tuning the network. Gigabit Ethernet is a powerful backbone/server solution because it delivers phenomenal bandwidth cost effectively, preserves the Ethernet frame format, and works with your existing traffic management systems.  Layer 3 switching solves intranet bottleneck problems by embedding classical routing in the switch hardware that routes traffic at high speeds while intelligently isolating faults, containing broadcast traffic, and providing seamless subnet/VLAN connections. Intranets and extranets, while proving indispensable for companies of all sizes, are also causing new traffic management problems. Hypertext links between servers and e-mails create any-to-any traffic that are overwhelming legacy LAN routers. As a result, companies are experiencing more bottlenecks between subnetworks. Enjoining Devices Within an Agregated System Hubs and switches are the most basic building blocks for connecting your PCs,  servers,and peripheral devices to form an Ethernet network. Sometimes referred  to as repeaters, hubs allow the attached network devices to communicate with each other, sharing information and resources, while switches have the ability to manage in excess of 100 ports as a single logical entity. Configuration is therefore faster and simpler. Stacking also provides the user with the optional resilient IP addresses across the stack. Thus if a failure should occur, the resilient IP address can be used for management stacking using a switch matrix module and cable.  Connections to hubs are often referred to as shared media connections,because the total available bandwidth is shared among all connected users. (Contrast this to a switch, which although more expensive, giveseach attached network device its own dedicated amount of bandwidth.)  Hubs 3Com HomeConnect Home Network Ethernet hub provides the traffic control center that directs information through your home network.  You can easily connect up to five computers, sharing printer and personal files among several users, and enabling sharing of your Internetconnection as well. The HomeConnect; Home Network Ethernet hub supports all leading operating systems, including Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, Macintosh, Linux, and UNIX. e ISP.  Superstack Hubs The SuperStack II family of hubs continues the tremendous success of SuperStack II enterprise networking solutions. Offering the high quality, reliability, and robustness of the 3Com SuperStack II family in a shared media device, a SuperStack II hub gives you a flexible, cost-effective connectivity solution for your enterprise network. The 3Com SuperStack II family protects your investment by delivering low cost of ownership and end-to-end compatible solutions by facilitating smooth migration from lower to higher bandwidth technologies.  Bottleneck Protection Across the Backbone The only certainty in networks today is that bandwidth demands will continue to increase. As more complex and time-sensitive applications such as voice and video are created for the desktop, a higher volume of traffic is generated throughout the network. This results in network bottlenecks that can cause performance problems within workgroups, to and from servers, and across the backbone. Switching technology has proven to be the most cost-effective, flexible, and least disruptive way to add and manage bandwidth at every level of your network. We can provide a array of switching solutions to match your particular requirements. To safeguard your investment. We offer a family of stackable switches that delivers Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, ATM technologies, and Layer 3 switching to solve any performance problem. No matter which product you start with today in one area of your network, you can be assured of a complete migration path and compatible solutions to take you to the next step tomorrow. And that covers everything from the desktop to the backbone.