3com OfficeConnect 140M User manual

®

http://www.3com.com/

OfficeConnect

™

Switch 140M

3C16731

Part No. DUA1673-1AAA01

Published July 1997

3Com Corporation ■ 5400 Bayfront Plaza ■ Santa Clara, California ■ 95052-8154

3Com Technologies, 1997.

this documentation may be reproduced in any form or by any means or

used to make any derivative work (such as translation, transformation,

or adaptation) without permission from 3Com Technologies.

3Com Technologies reserves the right to revise this documentation and

to make changes in content from time to time without obligation on

the part of 3Com Technologies to provide notification of such revision

or change.

3Com Technologies provides this documentation without warranty of

any kind, either implied or expressed, including, but not limited to, the

implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular

purpose. 3Com may make improvements or changes in the product(s)

and/or the program(s) described in this documentation at any time.

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT LEGENDS:

If you are a United States government agency, then this

documentation and the software described herein are provided to you

subject to the following restricted rights:

For units of the Department of Defense:

Restricted Rights Legend: Use, duplication, or disclosure by the

Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c) (1)

(ii) for Restricted Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software

Clause at 48 C.F.R. 52.227-7013. 3Com Technologies, c/o 3Com

Centre, Boundary Way, Hemel Hempstead, Herts. HP2 7YU, U.K.

For civilian agencies:

Restricted Rights Legend: Use, reproduction, or disclosure is subject to

restrictions set forth in subparagraph (a) through (d) of the Commercial

Computer Software – Restricted Rights Clause at 48 C.F.R. 52.227-19

and the limitations set forth in 3Com Corporation’s standard

commercial agreement for the software. Unpublished rights reserved

under the copyright laws of the United States.

If there is any software on removable media described in this

documentation, it is furnished under a license agreement included with

the product as a separate document, in the hard copy documentation,

or on the removable media in a directory file named LICENSE.TXT. If you

are unable to locate a copy, please contact 3Com and a copy will be

provided to you.

Unless otherwise indicated, 3Com registered trademarks are registered

in the United States and may or may not be registered in other

countries.

3Com, NetAge, SmartAgent, SuperStack and Transcend are registered

trademarks of 3Com Corporation. OfficeConnect and TranscendWare

are trademarks of 3Com Corporation. 3ComFacts is a service mark of

3Com Corporation.

CompuServe is a registered trademark of CompuServe, Inc.

Windows and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft. IPX

is a registered trademark of Ideographix, Inc. Netscape Navigator is a

trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation. Netware is a

registered trademark of Novell Inc.

Other brand and product names may be registered trademarks or

trademarks of their respective holders.

Environmental Statement

It is 3Com’s policy to be environmentally friendly in all its operations.

This manual is printed on paper that comes from sustainable, managed

European forests. The production process for making the pulp has a

reduced AOX level (adsorbable organic halogen) resulting in elemental

chlorine-free paper.

The paper is fully biodegradable and recyclable.

C

ONTENTS

I

MPORTANT

S

AFETY

I

NFORMATION

W

ICHTIGE

S

ICHERHEITSHINWEISE

L’

INFORMATION

DE

S

ÉCURITÉ

I

MPORTANTE

Y

OUR

S

WITCH

A

DDRESSES

A

BOUT

T

HIS

G

UIDE

Introduction 1

How to Use This Guide 1

Conventions 2

Related Documentation 3

1

I

NTRODUCTION

Network Terminology 1-2

How the Switch Can Be Used 1-4

Switching 1-4

Connecting 10BASE-T and 100BASE-TX Networks

1-6

2

C

REATING

Y

OUR

N

ETWORK

LEDs and Ports 2-1

Before You Start 2-4

Hub Connections 2-4

Workstation Connections 2-4

Twisted Pair (TP) Cables 2-5

Positioning Your OfficeConnect Switch 2-5

Using the Rubber Feet and Stacking Clips 2-6

Wall Mounting Your OfficeConnect Switch 2-7

Connecting Workstations and Other Equipment to

Your Switch 2-7

Connecting OfficeConnect Hubs to Your Switch 2-8

Connecting 10BASE-T Hubs 2-8

Connecting a 100BASE-TX Hub 2-9

Checking Hub Connections 2-10

Spot Checks 2-10

3

A

BOUT

S

WITCH

M

ANAGEMENT

Why Manage Your Switch? 3-1

How You Can Manage Your Switch 3-2

Web Interface 3-2

Command Line Interface 3-2

SNMP Network Management 3-3

RMON 3-3

Making a Management Connection to Your Switch 3-4

Managing Through the Console Port 3-5

Managing Over the Network 3-6

RMON Features of the Switch 3-8

4

M

ANAGING

Y

OUR

S

WITCH

U

SING THE

W

EB

I

NTERFACE

Your Web Browser 4-1

Configuring Your Browser 4-2

Accessing the Web Interface 4-2

About the Web Interface 4-5

General Components 4-5

Web Interface Map 4-6

Using the Web Interface 4-7

Displaying the Unit Pages 4-7

Displaying the Management Category Pages 4-7

Page Components 4-8

Making Changes to the Pages 4-8

User Access 4-8

Exiting the Web Interface 4-8

Online Help System 4-9

Unit Pages 4-10

Unit View 4-10

Unit Status 4-11

Management Addresses 4-11

Alert LED 4-12

Console Port Configuration 4-15

Port Setup 4-16

Management Settings Pages 4-18

Contact 4-18

Documentation 4-18

Getting Started 4-19

Location 4-20

Password Setting 4-20

System Name 4-21

Configuration Pages 4-21

Ageing Time 4-21

Forwarding Mode 4-22

Initialize 4-23

PACE 4-23

Reset 4-24

Software Upgrade 4-24

Switch Database 4-25

Health Pages 4-27

Port Graph 4-27

Unit Graph 4-28

5

U

SING

THE

C

OMMAND

L

INE

I

NTERFACE

Using a Terminal Emulator 5-1

HyperTerminal 5-2

Terminal 5-2

Telnet 5-3

Starting the CLI 5-3

Logging On 5-3

Logging Off 5-4

Using the CLI Menus 5-4

CLI Menu Structure 5-5

Navigating the Menus and Entering Commands 5-5

Quick Guide to the Commands 5-6

Commands 5-7

Enabling and Disabling BOOTP 5-7

Setting the IP Configuration 5-7

Viewing the Configuration 5-8

Resetting the Switch 5-9

Initializing the Switch 5-10

Testing the Connection to Other Devices 5-10

6

P

ROBLEM

S

OLVING

Isolating a Problem 6-1

Solving Problems With the Switch 6-2

Solving Problems With the Web Interface 6-3

Solving Problems With the Command Line Interface 6-5

Solving Problems With an SNMP Network Management

Application 6-6

A

D

IMENSIONS

, S

TANDARDS

AND

C

ABLING

Dimensions and Operating Environment A-1

BABT Approval (for U.K. Users Only) A-1

Standards A-1

Cabling A-2

10BASE-T A-2

Straight-through A-2

Crossover A-2

Console A-2

Examples of Null Modem Cables You Can Use A-3

Modem Cable A-4

Management Settings A-4

B

IP

AND

IPX A

DDRESSES

IP Addresses B-1

Obtaining a Registered IP Address B-2

How IP Addresses Work B-2

Assigning IP Addresses to a Small, Contained

Network B-4

IPX Addresses B-4

C

S

ERIAL

W

EB

U

TILITY

Introduction C-1

Installing the Serial Web Utility C-1

Using the Serial Web Utility C-3

Solving Problems With the Serial Web Utility C-4

D

T

ECHNICAL

S

UPPORT

Online Technical Services D-1

World Wide Web Site D-1

3Com Bulletin Board Service D-1

3ComFacts Automated Fax Service D-2

3ComForum on CompuServe

®

Online Service D-3

Support from Your Network Supplier D-4

I

NDEX

3C

OM

C

ORPORATION

L

IFETIME

L

IMITED

W

ARRANTY

E

LECTRO

-M

AGNETIC

C

OMPATABILITY

I

MPORTANT

S

AFETY

I

NFORMATION

WARNING: Warnings contain directions that you

must follow for your personal safety. Follow all

instructions carefully.

Please read the following information carefully before

installing the OfficeConnect unit:

■

Exceptional care must be taken during installation

and removal of the unit.

■

Only stack the OfficeConnect unit with other

OfficeConnect units.

■

Only use the power adapter that is supplied with

the unit to ensure compliance with international

safety standards.

■

It is essential that the power outlet is located near

the unit and is accessible. You can only remove

power to the OfficeConnect unit by disconnecting

the power adapter from the unit or from the

socket outlet.

■

This unit operates under SELV conditions (Safety

Extra Low Voltage) according to IEC 950, the

conditions of which are maintained only if the

equipment to which it is connected is also

operational under SELV.

■

There are no user-replaceable fuses or

user-serviceable parts inside the unit. If you have a

physical problem with the unit that cannot be

solved with problem solving actions in this guide,

contact your supplier.

■

Disconnect the power adapter before moving the

unit.

WARNING: Twisted Pair RJ45 ports. These are

RJ45 data sockets. They cannot be used as telephone

sockets. Only connect RJ45 data connectors to these

sockets.

W

ICHTIGE

S

ICHERHEITSHINWEISE

ACHTUNG: Die Warnungen enthalten Anweisungen,

die Sie zur eigenen Sicherheit zu befolgen haben.

Lesen Sie bitte die folgenden Informationen sorgfältig

durch, bevor Sie das Gerät einbauen:

■

Auf besondere Vorsicht muß während des Ein-

und Ausbaus des Gerätes geachtet werden.

■

Stapeln Sie das Gerät nur mit anderen

OfficeConnect Gerätes zusammen.

■

Verwenden Sie nur das mit dem Gerät mitgelieferte

Netzteil um die internationalen Sicherheitsstandards

zu erfüllen.

■

Die Netzsteckdose muß sich in unmittelbarer Nähe

des Gerätes befinden und frei zugänglich sein. Sie

können das Gerät nur spannungsfrei schalten,

indem Sie das Steckernetzteil aus der

Netzsteckdose ziehen oder die Verbindung zum

Gerät unterbrechen.

■

Dieses Gerät arbeitet mit SELV-Spannung (Safety

Extra Low Voltage, Sicherheitskleinspannung)

gemäß IEC950. Diese Bedingungen werden nur

eingehalten, wenn die Geräte mit denen des

Gerätes verbunden ist ebenfalls mit

SELV-Spannung arbeiten.

■

Es sind keine von dem Benutzer zu ersetzende oder

zu wartende Teile in dem Gerät vorhanden. Wenn

Sie ein Problem mit dem Gerät haben, das nicht

mittels der Fehleranalyse in dieser Anleitung

behoben werden kann, setzen Sie sich mit Ihrem

Lieferanten in Verbindung.

■

Bevor das Gerät ausgebaut wird ist das Netzteil zu

ziehen.

ACHTUNG: gedrehte paarfache RJ45 Anschlüsse.

Es sind RJ45 Datenanschlußbuchsen. Sie dürfen nicht

als Telefonanschluß verwendet werden. Verbinden Sie

nur RJ45 Datenstecker mit diesen Anschlüssen.

L’

INFORMATION

DE

S

ÉCURITÉ

I

MPORTANTE

AVERTISSEMENT: Les avertissements contiennent les

instructions que vous devez suivre pour votre sécurité

personnelle. Suivre toutes les instructions avec soin.

Veuillez lire à fond l’information suivante avant

d’installer l’appareil:

■

Le soin exceptionnel doit être pris pendant

l’installation et l’enlèvement de l’appareil.

■

Seulement entasser l’appareil avec les autres

appareils OfficeConnect.

■

Seulement utiliser la pièce de raccordement

d’alimentation qui est fournie avec l’appareil pour

assurer la conformité avec les normes de sécurité

internationales.

■

C’est essentiel que le socle de prise de courant du

réseau soit localisé proche de l’appareil et soit

accessible. Vous pouvez seulement enlever

l’alimentation de l’appareil en débranchant la

pièce de raccordement d’alimentation de l’unité

ou du socle de prise de courant.

■

Cet appareil fonctionne sous les conditiones SELV

(Sécurité du Voltage le plus Bas) d’après IEC950,

les conditions desquelles sont maintenues

seulement si le matériel à qui il est branché est

aussi en exploitation sous SELV.

■

Il n’y a pas de parties remplaceables par les

utilisateurs ou entretenues par les utilisateurs à

l’intérieur de l’appareil. Si vous avez un problème

physique avec l’appareil qui ne peut pas être résolu

avec les actions de la résolution des problèmes

dans ce guide, contacter votre fournisseur.

■

Débrancher la pièce de raccordement

d’alimentation avant de remuer l’appareil.

AVERTISSEMENT: Les ports RJ45 de paire tordue.

Ceux-ci sont les socles de données RJ45. Ils ne

peuvent pas être utilisés comme socles de téléphone.

Seulement brancher les connecteurs de données RJ45

à ces socles.

Y

OUR

S

WITCH

A

DDRESSES

You can configure IP address information for your

switch, enabling you to manage it over the network.

It is important that you note down this information as

you may need to refer to it when managing the

switch again. Use this page to note down your

settings.

If you want to initialize the switch, the IP address

settings are retained to allow you to continue

managing the switch. If you want to return the switch

to its default address settings, you must enter them

manually.

For information on configuring the IP address settings

using the:

■

Web interface — refer to “Management

Addresses” on page 4-11.

■

Command Line Interface — refer to “Setting the IP

Configuration” on page 5-7.

Parameter Default Your setting

Device

name

Switch 140M

Location (blank)

Contact (blank)

IP address 0.0.0.0

Subnet

mask

0.0.0.0

Serial Line

IP address

192.168.101.1

Subnet

mask

255.255.255.0

Router

IP address

0.0.0.0

A

BOUT

T

HIS

G

UIDE

About This Guide provides an overview of this guide,

describes the guide conventions, tells you where to

look for specific information and lists other

publications that may be useful.

Introduction

This guide describes how to set up, manage and get

the most out of your OfficeConnect™ Switch 140M.

This guide is intended for users who are new to

networking but have a basic understanding of what

they want to do. If you have not managed a network

product before, it is possible that you may make

mistakes. We have tried to identify the likely errors

you may make and have provided hints and tips to

help you recover from these situations.

If you are already familiar with network

management, you may be able to skip some of the

information in this guide and use the information

given for reference purposes only.

If there are Release Notes shipped with your product

and the information in them differs from the

information in this guide, follow the Release Notes.

How to Use This Guide

This table shows where to find specific information in

this guide.

If you are looking for... Turn to...

An introduction to the switch and its features Chapter 1

Information on installing and using the switch Chapter 2

Ways you can manage your switch and how to

start your management session

Chapter 3

Information on using the web interface to manage

your switch

Chapter 4

Information on using the Command Line Interface

to manage your switch

Chapter 5

Information on solving any problems Chapter 6

The switch dimensions, the standards it conforms

to, and the cabling you can use with it

Appendix A

An introduction to IP and IPX addresses Appendix B

Information on installing and using the serial web

utility

Appendix C

Technical support Appendix D

2 A

BOUT

T

HIS

G

UIDE

Conventions

Table 1 and Table 2 list conventions that are used

throughout this guide.

Table 1

Icon Notice Type Alerts you to...

Information

note

Important features or instructions

Caution Risk of personal safety, system damage,

or loss of data

Warning Risk of severe personal injury

Table 2

Convention Description

Screen

displays

This typeface represents information as it

appears on the screen

.

The words

“enter”

and “type”

When you see the word “enter” in this guide,

you must type something, and then press the

Return or Enter key. Do not press the Return or

Enter key when an instruction simply says

“type.”

[Key] names Key names appear in text in one of two ways:

■

Referred to by their labels, such as “the

Return key” or “the Escape key”

■

Written with brackets, such as [Return] or

[Esc].

If you must press two or more keys

simultaneously, the key names are linked with a

plus sign (+). Example:

Press [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[Del].

Menu

commands

and

buttons

Menu commands or button names appear in

italics. Example:

From the

Help

menu, select

Contents

.

Words in

italicized

type

Italics emphasize a point or denote new terms at

the place where they are defined in the text.

Words in

bold

type

Bold text denotes key features.

About This Guide 3

Related Documentation

The following documents form part of the document

set for this product:

■

Quick Reference Guide

This contains some useful information from this

guide which you may need to refer to regularly.

■

Product Range Sheet

This is an overview of the other products in the

OfficeConnect range.

4 A

BOUT

T

HIS

G

UIDE

1

I

NTRODUCTION

Welcome to the world of networking with 3Com

®

.

In the modern business environment, communication

and sharing information is crucial. Computer networks

have proved to be one of the fastest modes of

communication but until now only large businesses

could afford the networking advantage.

The OfficeConnect™ product range from 3Com has

changed this, bringing networks into the small office.

As the power of workstations and business

applications increases, heavier demands are made on

the available network bandwidth that, if unchecked,

can lead to performance problems in a hub-based

setup. Installing the OfficeConnect Switch 140M

allows your network to be divided so that traffic can

be contained effectively, reducing the overall load

without affecting access to critical resources.

The switch has four 10BASE-T ports and one

100BASE-TX port, which allows you to connect

10BASE-T and 100BASE-TX hubs and workstations

together, as shown in Figure 1-1

.

Figure 1-1

Small Network with the OfficeConnect Switch 140M

(Circle Shows Units Clipped Together)

1-2 C

HAPTER

1: I

NTRODUCTION

The switch is ideal for use with other OfficeConnect

products. It is compact and attractively designed for

desktop use. It is part of the OfficeConnect range

which neatly stacks together with clips, providing a

range of facilities. For information on this range,

refer to the “OfficeConnect Product Range” sheet

that accompanies this product.

Management

The switch comes ready for use in your network, and

does not require management to get it working.

However, management allows you to perform

additional network functions, for example monitoring

your network and adding security.

The switch has:

■

A built-in web interface. You can use a web

browser on any type of management station

(for example an IBM-compatible PC) to access the

web interface locally or over the network.

■

A simple built-in Command Line Interface which

allows you to quickly set up IP address information

for the switch, if you wish to manage it over the

network using the web interface or an SNMP

(IP/IPX-based) network management application,

for example 3Com’s Transcend

®

Enterprise

Manager for Windows

®

.

Network Terminology

A

Network

is a collection of workstations (for

example, IBM-compatible PCs) and other equipment

(for example, printers), connected for the purpose of

exchanging information or sharing resources.

Networks vary in size, some are within a single room,

others span continents.

A

LAN

(Local Area Network) is a network, usually in

an office, that spans no more than a single site.

Ethernet

is a type of LAN, referring to the technology

used to pass information around the network.

It operates at 10Mbps (megabits per second).

Fast Ethernet

is a type of LAN that runs ten times

faster than standard Ethernet. It operates at

100Mbps.

10BASE-T

is the name given to the Ethernet protocol

that runs over

TP

(Twisted Pair) cable.

100BASE-TX

is the name given to the Fast Ethernet

protocol that runs over

TP

(Twisted Pair) cable.

A

Segment

is the length of cable connected to a

port.

Network Terminology 1-3

Bandwidth

refers to the amount of network traffic

the network can carry at any one time (information

capacity) measured in

bps

(bits per second).

Workstations or applications that use the network

heavily are referred to as using high bandwidth

(these are usually users who do a lot of graphical or

multi-media work across the network). Fast Ethernet

has a higher bandwidth than Ethernet, so it can cope

with larger amounts of traffic which results in faster

operation.

A

Network Loop

occurs when two pieces of network

equipment are connected by more than one path

(an illegal configuration in Ethernet and Fast

Ethernet).

Packets

are the units of information your

workstations and other equipment send to each other

over the network. A

Frame

is the data part of the

packet and can be

Unicast

(sent to a single device),

Multicast

(sent to multiple devices), or

Broadcast

(sent to all devices).

Device

is a term that is usually used to refer to a

piece of network equipment. Every device has a

unique address (called a

MAC address

) that is used

to identify it on the network.

Collisions

are a part of normal Ethernet and Fast

Ethernet operation and occur if two or more devices

attempt to transmit at the same time. A sudden

sustained increase in the number of collisions can

indicate a problem with a device, particularly if it is

not accompanied by a general increase in traffic.

SNMP

(Simple Network Management Protocol) is a

protocol that controls how a management station

gains information from a device. SNMP provides:

■

A set of rules that define how a management

station can communicate with a device.

■

A

MIB

(Management Information Base) that

defines what information can be obtained from the

device by the management station. Every

SNMP-manageable device has a MIB, which is a list

of information about it.

■

Unsolicited messages called

Traps

, which work

differently to the usual request/reply management

communication. You can configure a device so that

it generates a trap if a certain condition occurs, for

example a port changing state. The trap is sent to

the management station to inform it of the

occurrence.

1-4 C

HAPTER

1: I

NTRODUCTION

IP

(Internet Protocol) is a data communication

protocol used to connect computers and data

equipment into computer networks. It is used on a

large international network called the

Internet

, which

is composed of universities, government facilities,

research institutions and private companies.

IPX

is a Novell Netware protocol that performs a

similar function to IP.

SLIP

(Serial Line Internet Protocol) allows you to run

the IP protocol over a serial line connection.

A

Modem

(Modulator–Demodulator) is a piece of

equipment used for transmitting computer data over

telephone lines.

How the Switch Can Be Used

Switching

When a network of repeater hubs is in operation,

any information that is sent by the workstations is

passed around the whole network (regardless of the

destination of the information) which results in a lot

of unnecessary traffic that can consume valuable

bandwidth.

The switch solves this problem because it reads the

network traffic and automatically learns what

workstations can be reached through each of its

ports. It can then selectively pass on any information

by transmitting the traffic from the relevant port only

(instead of all ports like a repeater hub). This

operation is called ‘switching’.

The switch effectively divides up your network,

localizing the network traffic and passing on traffic

as necessary, as shown in Figure 1-2

. If you have

workstations that communicate frequently in the

same part of the network, traffic between them is not

passed to the remainder of the network, reducing

the load. This is often referred to as segmenting the

network. A high performance workstation requiring a

How the Switch Can Be Used 1-5

lot of bandwidth may benefit from being connected

directly to the switch.

Figure 1-2

Segmenting Your Network with the Switch

Switching Features

The OfficeConnect Switch 140M behaves as a

standard IEEE 802.1D bridge. This means that its

functionality conforms to that IEEE specification. The

switch has a

switch database

with a capacity for 500

workstation (MAC) addresses.

How the Switch Works

Information is passed around the network in small

units, called

packets

. These packets contain various

MAC addresses

, which are unique addresses that are

permanently stored within each device on your

network:

■

Source address — the address of the equipment

that sent the packet.

■

Destination address — the address of the

equipment that the packet is intended for.

Each of the network adapters in your workstations

has a MAC address which is used to identify the

workstation on the network. An example of a MAC

address is ‘08004e0849d1’.

1-6 C

HAPTER

1: I

NTRODUCTION

Using the source addresses, the switch can learn

which workstations are connected to each of its ports.

This information is stored in a

switching database

,

which is a list containing each source address

together with the port (through which the device with

that address is attached to the switch).

Using this database, the switch can then act on future

packets that it receives:

■

If the destination device is connected to the same

port as the source device, the packet is discarded

(called

filtering

), reducing unnecessary traffic.

■

If the destination device is connected to a

different port as the source device, the packet is

transmitted through that port (called

forwarding

).

■

If the destination device is unknown (in other

words, not in the switching database), the packet

is transmitted through all of the other ports (called

flooding

).

The above operation is affected by any security that

you configure for the switch. For example, if you

disable a port (through management), packets will not

be learnt, forwarded or flooded through that port.

Connecting 10BASE-T and 100BASE-TX Networks

This switch enables you to connect 10BASE-T and

100BASE-TX networks together. This means that if

you have both types of network, you can connect

them so all of your workstations can communicate.

Alternatively, if you want to improve performance by

introducing 100BASE-TX (using the OfficeConnect

Fast Ethernet hubs for example), the switch protects

your investment by allowing your existing equipment

to work with the new equipment.

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