Before you send a product directly to 3Com for repair, you must first obtain a Return Materials Authorization (RMA) number. Products sent to 3Com without RMA numbers will be returned to the sender unopened, at the sender’s expense. To obtain an RMA number, call or fax:
02/06/97
Regional Sales Office Telephone Number 3Com Latin America
Argentina Brazil Chile Colombia Mexico Peru Venezuela 3Com Mediterraneo Italy
3Com Middle East 3Com Nordic AB Denmark Finland Norway Sweden 3Com Russia 3Com South Africa 3Com U.K. Limited
54 1 312 3266 55 11 546 0869 56 2 633 9242 57 1 629 4110 52 5 520 7841 51 1 221 5399 58 2 953 8122 39 2 253011 (Milan) 39 6 5279941 (Rome) 971 4 349049 45 39 27 85 00 358 0 435 420 67 47 22 18 40 03 46 8 632 56 00 007 095 2580940 27 11 807 4397 44 131 2478558 (Edinburgh) 44 161 8737717 (Manchester) 44 1628 897000 (Marlow)
Location Telephone Number Fax Number U.S.A. and Canada 1 800 876 3266,
option 2
408 764 7120 Latin America 1 408 326 7801 408 764 7120 Europe, South
Africa and Middle East
44 1442 438125 44 1442 435822
10BASE-T
The IEEE 802.3 specification for Ethernet over Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cabling.
100BASE-FX
100Mbps Ethernet implementation over fiber. 100BASE-TX
100Mbps Ethernet implementation over category 5 and Type 1 Twisted Pair cabling.
ageing
The automatic removal of dynamic entries from the Switch Database which have timed-out and are no longer valid.
ATM
Asynchronous Transfer Mode. A connection ori- ented transmission protocol based on fixed length cells (packets). ATM is designed to carry a complete range of user traffic, including voice, data and video signals.
backbone
The part of a network used as the primary path for transporting traffic between network segments.
bandwidth
Information capacity, measured in bits per second, that a channel can transmit. The bandwidth of Ethernet is 10Mbps, the bandwidth of Fast Ether- net is 100Mbps.
baud rate
The switching speed of a line. Also known as line
speed. BOOTP
The BOOTP protocol allows you to automatically map an IP address to a given MAC address each time a device is started. In addition, the protocol can assign the subnet mask and default gateway to a device.
bridge
A device that interconnects local or remote net- works no matter what higher level protocols are involved. Bridges form a single logical network, cen- tralizing network administration.
broadcast
A message sent to all destination devices on the network.
broadcast storm
Multiple simultaneous broadcasts that typically absorb available network bandwidth and can cause network failure.
console port
The port on the Switch accepting a terminal or modem connector. It changes the parallel arrange- ment of data within computers to the serial form used on data transmission links. This port is most often used for dedicated local management. CSMA/CD
Channel access method used by Ethernet and IEEE 802.3 standards in which devices transmit only after finding the data channel clear for some period of time. When two devices transmit simultaneously, a collision occurs and the colliding devices delay their retransmissions for a random amount of time. data center switching
The point of aggregation within a corporate net- work where a switch provides high-performance access to server farms, a high-speed backbone con- nection and a control point for network manage- ment and security.
Ethernet
A LAN specification developed jointly by Xerox, Intel and Digital Equipment Corporation. Ethernet networks operate at 10Mbps using CSMA/CD to run over cabling.
Fast Ethernet
100Mbps technology based on the Ethernet/CD net- work access method.
forwarding
The process of sending a frame toward its destina- tion by an internetworking device.
full duplex
A system which allows frames to be transmitted and received simultaneously and, in effect, doubles the potential throughput of a link.
IFM
Intelligent Flow Management. A means of holding packets back at the transmit port of the connected endstation. Prevents packet loss at a congested switch port.
IPX
Internetwork Packet Exchange. A protocol allowing communication in a NetWare network.
IP address
Internet Protocol address. A unique identifier for a device attached to a network using TCP/IP. The address is written as four octets separated with full-stops (periods), and is made up of a network section, an optional subnet section and a host sec- tion.
LAN
Local Area Network. A network of connected com- puting resources (such as PCs, printers, servers) cov- ering a relatively small geographic area (usually not larger than a floor or building). Characterized by high data rates and low error rates.
latency
The delay between the time a device receives a frame and the time the frame is forwarded out of the destination port.
line speed
See baud rate. main port
The port in a resilient link that carries data traffic in normal operating conditions.
MDI / MDIX
Medium Dependent Interface. A type of Ethernet twisted pair port connection: MDI ports connect to MDIX (cross-over) ports using straight-through twisted pair cabling; MDI-to-MDI and MDIX-to-MDIX links use cross-over twisted pair cabling.
MIB
Management Information Base. Stores a device’s management characteristics and parameters. MIBs are used by the Simple Network Management Proto- col (SNMP) to contain attributes of their managed systems. The Switch contains its own internal MIB.
multicast
Single packets copied to a specific subset of net- work addresses. These addresses are specified in the destination-address field of the packet. PACE
Priority Access Control Enabled. 3Com’s innovative technology which works in conjunction with a switch to control the latency and jitter associated with the transmission of multimedia traffic over Ethernet and Fast Ethernet.
POST
Power On Self Test. An internal test that the Switch carries out when it is powered-up.
protocol
A set of rules for communication between devices on a network. The rules dictate format, timing, sequencing and error control.
resilient link
A pair of ports that can be configured so that one will take over data transmission should the other
fail. See also main port and standby port.
RJ45
Standard 8-wire connectors for IEEE 802.3 10BASE-T networks.
RMON
Remote Monitoring. Subset of SNMP MIB II allows monitoring and management capabilities by
addressing up to ten different groups of informa- tion.
RPS
Redundant Power System. Part of the SuperStack® II
product range, provides a backup source of power when connected to the Switch.
server farm
A cluster of servers in a centralized location serving a wide user population.
SLIP
Serial Line Internet Protocol. A protocol which allows IP to run over a serial line connection. SmartAgent
Intelligent management agents in devices and logi- cal connectivity systems that reduce the computa- tional load on the network management station and reduce management-oriented traffic on the net- work.
SNMP
Simple Network Management Protocol. A protocol originally designed to be used in managing TCP/IP internets. SNMP is presently implemented on a wide range of computers and networking equip- ment and may be used to manage many aspects of network and endstation operation.
Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)
A bridge-based system for providing fault tolerance on networks. STP works by allowing you to imple- ment parallel paths for network traffic, and ensure that redundant paths are disabled when the main paths are operational and enabled if the main paths fail.
standby port
The port in a resilient link that will take over data transmission if the main port in the link fails. STP
See Spanning Tree Protocol (STP). switch
A device which filters, forwards and floods frames based on the frame’s destination address. The switch learns the addresses associated with each switch port and builds tables based on this informa- tion to be used for the switching decision.
TCP/IP
A layered set of communications protocols providing Telnet terminal emulation, FTP file transfer, and other services for communication among a wide range of computer equipment.
Telnet
A TCP/IP application protocol that provides virtual terminal service, letting a user log in to another computer system and access a host as if the user were connected directly to the host.
TFTP
Trivial File Transfer Protocol. Allows you to transfer files (such as software upgrades) from a remote device using your Switch unit’s local management capabilities.
Transcend®
3Com’s umbrella management system used to manage all of 3Com’s networking solutions. UDP
User Datagram protocol. An Internet standard proto- col that allows an application program on one device to send a datagram to an application pro- gram on another device.
VLAN
Virtual LAN. A group of location- and topol- ogy-independent devices that communicate as if they are on a common physical LAN.
VLT
Virtual LAN Trunk. A Switch-to-Switch link which carries traffic for all the VLANs on each Switch. VT100
A type of terminal which uses ASCII characters. VT100 screens have a text-based appearance.