About Fast Ethernet - D-Link DFE-690TXD User Manual

About Fast Ethernet

Fast Ethernet is a network technology specified by IEEE Standard
802.3u. It extends the traditional 10Mbps (10 megabit/sec) Ethernet
technology to achieve 100Mbps (100 megabit/sec) transmission and
reception. Because Fast Ethernet retains the traditional Ethernet
CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense, Multiple Access, Collision Detect) protocol,
it remains wholly compatible with 10Mbps Ethernet while providing a
tenfold increase in network capacity.
The Fast Ethernet standard specifies three subtypes, corresponding to
three media types:
•
100Base-TX (using two twisted pairs in EIA 568 Category 5 UTP or
STP cable)
•
100Base-T4 (using four twisted pairs in a Category 3, Category 4, or
Category 5 UTP cable)
•
100Base-FX (using two fiber-optic strands).
The DFE-690TXD provides full-duplex and half-duplex 100Base-TX
operation (in Category 5 twisted-pair cable environments). It does not
provide 100Base-T4 or 100Base-FX operation. To provide for traditional
10Mbps Ethernet operation in twisted-pair cable environments, the DFE-
690TXD also offers 10Mbps Ethernet operation, in full-duplex and half-
duplex modes. The DFE-690TXD's autonegotiation capability provides
for automatic selection of the best operation mode.
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