Chapter 2: Getting To Know The Etherfast; 10/100 Lan Card; Leds; The Rj-45 Port - Linksys EtherFast 10/100 User Manual

Chapter 2: Getting to Know the
EtherFast ®

10/100 LAN Card

LEDs

100 Amber. The 100 LED will illuminate when the card is operating
at 100Mbps. If the 100 LED is not illuminated and the PC is pow-
ered on, the card is operating at 10Mbps.
Link/Act Green. The Link LED will illuminate when the card has been suc-
cessfully connected to a network and flicker when data is being
transmitted or received over the network.

The RJ-45 Port

The RJ-45 Port is where you will connect your UTP Category 5 or better network
cabling.
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Instant EtherFast ® Series EtherFast ® 10/100 LAN Card
Chapter 3: Installing the EtherFast
10/100 LAN Card

Overview

Each EtherFast ® 10/100 LAN Card is equipped with an RJ-45 port that auto-
matically adjusts to either 10Mbps or 100Mbps speeds, allowing your PC to
attach to either Fast Ethernet (also known as 100BaseTX) or regular 10BaseT
Ethernet network segments without additional hardware or software.
The card should only be used with twisted-pair cabling. 10BaseT and
100BaseTX cabling is available in a number of different grades. For best
results, we recommend using 8-wire, UTP Category 5 unshielded twisted-pair
for both 10BaseT and 100BaseTX network segments, although UTP Category
3 can be used for 10BaseT segments. The cable that runs from your PC's
EtherFast card to your network should not exceed 100 meters (328 feet). Both
UTP Category 3 and 5 twisted-pair cabling can be purchased at most comput-
er stores, or if you prefer, you can crimp your own cables.

Installing the Network Card and Cabling

1. Power off your PC and any peripheral equipment attached to it. Unplug
your PC's power cable.
2. Remove your computer's outside cover.
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