1 Overview

1.1 This subsection shows you:

  • When to expand your network
  • What equipment you need to expand your network

2 When do I expand or upgrade the network?

2.1 Networks provide the connections and features that are required now, while remaining flexible for growth in the future.

There are three common reasons for expanding and upgrading the network:

  • More ports are required, for example, to accommodate more users
  • More bandwidth is required
  • Peer-to-peer networking has become complicated

Before adding more network equipment such as another hub or switch, refer to the Network Rules section.

2.2 When you need to add more users to the network, you can simply connect another OfficeConnect hub to provide more ports.

2.3 An Ethernet hub-based network is suitable for small networks with basic networking needs. However if you require more bandwidth due to a high level of network use, large file transfer or multi-media applications you should upgrade to a Fast Ethernet network.

Fast Ethernet (100Mbps) provides 10 times more bandwidth than Ethernet (10Mbps), which speeds up the network. To move from an Ethernet to a Fast Ethernet network you can use a 10/100 autosensing device (known as dual speed) which allows you to combine 10Mbps and 100Mbps devices in a network. When upgrading to Fast Ethernet you can add either a Fast Ethernet Hub or a Fast Ethernet Switch.

Fast Ethernet hubs

Fast Ethernet hubs provide additional bandwidth which is shared among all the users. With increasing bandwidth requirements of some of today's software applications, 3Com recommend installing an OfficeConnect Dual Speed Hub.

Fast Ethernet switches

Adding a switch to a network divides the network into smaller less congested segments by providing dedicated bandwidth from the switch to the attached device, whether this is a desktop PC, another hub, or a server. Fast Ethernet switching is ideal for:

  • Users who are moving high volumes of data or large multi-media files.
  • Dedicated high-speed links to the server to reduce congestion on the central resource.
  • Connecting several hubs together to create smaller, less congested segments.

 

 

2.4 Upgrading to Fast Ethernet requires Fast Ethernet NICs and PCMCIA cards (in network PCs and laptops). If the NICs and PCMCIA cards are not capable of Fast Ethernet, they must be upgraded.

 

2.5 As the network grows, it can be harder to implement peer-to-peer networking:

  • It can be difficult to keep track of folders' locations and who is accessing them.
  • If shared folders and local printers are accessed heavily, it can make the PCs that contain them run slower.

If peer-to-peer networking has become too complicated, it may be necessary to move to a client/server network. A client/server network has centralized resources, such as network drives and printers, which are controlled by one or more servers (in effect, a larger PC). Users (the clients) access the servers to gain use of the network drives and printers.

This CD does not describe how to set up a client/server network. To find out how to set up such a network you should contact your supplier.

3 Adding WAN access

3.1 When you want to incorporate WAN access into your LAN, allowing you to send and receive e-mail across the Internet or transfer files to and from a remote location, you can easily introduce a LAN Modem into your network, such as 3Com's OfficeConnect LAN Modem.

 

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