[lug] Re: switch

[Hugh Brown]

So the moral of the story is that some uplink ports require crossover
cables and some don't.  If one doesn't work try the other.

Hugh


"Tkil"
> 
> 
> the best way i've found to remember this sort of thing is to think of
> the situation with serial cables.  
> 
> you had male plugs on the computer ("data terminal equipment" or DTEs
> in RS-232 parlance), and female plugs on the modem or printer ("data
> communication devices" or DCEs).  doing the "usual" connection takes a
> straight-through cable; but, if you want to connect two computers
> together, you need a "null modem" (== twisted-pair ethernet crossover
> cable) and a gender bender (since you need female plugs on both ends
> of the cable)
> 
> with TP ethernet boxes, you have "NIC ports" and "hub/switch ports".
> the usual connection is straight through, and everything works.
> however, when you want to connect one "hub/switch port" to another
> "hub/switch port", you need to use a crossover cable.
> 
> however, most hubs and switches were built with this need in mind.
> some have dedicated "uplink ports" which are really the same "sex" as
> "NIC ports", and are ready to be connected with a *straight* cable to
> a "hub/switch port" on another hub or switch; others have a port that
> is normally a "hub/switch port" but can be toggled to behave as an
> uplink ("nic") port.
> 
> does this help?  did i get it right?
> 
> t.