Duxbury Networking, the sole distributor of Netgear networking solutions for homes and small businesses, has released its Stackable Fast Ethernet Switch.
Dubbed the FS517TS, it features a copper gigabit port that is said to eliminate the problem of bottlenecks in growing switched Fast Ethernet networks. With 16 Fast Ethernet ports and a dedicated front panel gigabit port, the FS517TS provides multiple configuration options, especially when deployed in conjunction with the stackable FS524S, Netgear`s 24-port 10/100 stackable switch.
A built-in 2Gb stacking port allows users to combine one or two FS517TS units with up to eight FS524S switches for scaling the network up to 224 10/100Mbps connections. The Gigabit port is used to connect to Gigabit servers or Gigabit switches to provide a high-speed connection from the stack to the rest of the network.
The FS517TS is positioned as a bridging solution between Netgear`s FS524S 24-port Stackable Fast Ethernet switch and the latest Gigabit over copper products, comprised of Netgear`s GS508T 8-port Gigabit Copper Switch, GS504T 4-Port Gigabit Copper Switch and GA622T Gigabit Ethernet Adapter.
The FS517TS is equipped with an Auto Uplink feature that automatically senses whether the straight-through cable plugged into any port should have a connection to a PC or an `uplink` connection, eg a connection to a switch, hub or router.
"This feature eliminates the worries about crossover cables and makes networking easier for all levels of IS personnel," says Graham Vorster, chief technology officer at Duxbury Networking.
"Flow control technology based on the IEEE 802.3x standard avoids any packet loss. Heat sinks and fans help cool the unit, allowing better performance and ensuring greater reliability than provided by competing products on the market," he says.
Netgear also integrates automatic speed, full/half duplex, activity and collisions sensing in its switches in order to simplify the networking process.
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