SMC has announced its EtherPower II 10/100 family of Fast Ethernet PCI network cards. Improved performance, reliability and ease of installation are achieved through a highly integrated design based on SMC's Asic technology (EPIC). This results in improved network throughput and reduced CPU utilisation.
The EtherPower II 10/100 product family consists of four models, providing 10Base-2, 10Base-T, 100Base-TX and 100Base-FX options. Three of the cards have a RJ-45 connector for either 10Base-T or 100Base-TX connection, making it simple and cost-effective for future-proofing networks. "The NICs feature auto-negotiation for automatic selection of the highest data rate and operating mode supported by the attached device. Two of them incorporate Remote LAN Wakeup, so an administrator can 'wake up' a WOL-enabled computer, install software, change configurations, perform routine backups and then shut the computer down again, reducing downtime and the total cost of ownership," says Greg Perkins, country manager of SMC SA. All the cards have an on-board socket for an optional boot ROM.
The newest member of the EtherPower II family, the SMC9432VFL, comes with a VF-45 connector that supports 100Base-FX, providing fibre connection directly to the desktop. "The VF-45 connector is advantageous because it is compatible with existing fibre infrastructures, is immune to electric noise, provides network security and it can extend LAN connections for up to 2km," says Perkins. The EZStart driver installation and diagnostic utility is also included; diagnostic LEDs indicate operating mode (half/full duplex), link integrity and data rate, and an on-board socket provides optional Flash boot ROM with DHCP "The EtherPower II 10/100 cards ship with drivers for most popular network operating systems, and features full-duplex operation at both line speeds which effectively doubles the available network bandwidth," he concludes.
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