Allied TelesynÂs new AT-FS200 family of two-port switches cost-effectively interconnect segments of Ethernet and Fast Ethernet networks, while relieving network congestion. The fiber connectivity of these switches allows users to recreate their mixed media 10Mbps Ethernet network environment with a switched Fast Ethernet network, without the worries or network redesigns normally associated with network upgrades. Faced with ever increasing bandwidth demands and shrinking IT budgets, networking professionals are installing switched networks as part of their future proofing strategy. By simply adding a switch to a workgroup, managers can realize an immediate improvement in network performance without costly upgrades to the existing network infrastructure and adhering to all of the strict topology rules of Fast Ethernet. All of the new small form factor switches can be used to provide a full-duplex link to any device, providing up to twice the bandwidth to transmit and receive simultaneously. The AT-FS200 family performs at full-wire speed forwarding and filtering at 148,000pps for 100mbps and 14,800pps for 10mbps. The forwarding mode is store and forward. Each switch supports the auto-negotiation function. The AT-FS200 family allows manual configuration of the ports, ensuring interoperability with all of the existing networks, which may or may not support auto-negotiation. The AT-FS200 family delivers many benefits in installations which require mixed copper and fiber cabling. These switches provide a media conversion function as well as connect directly to any existing 10 or 100Mbps copper network, while providing a fiber backbone port. This networking function is increasingly necessary, as the maximum cable distance and repeater hop count for Fast Ethernet limits the useable size of a network. |
