to maximize performance, choose one of these methods for configuring the ethernet ports:
1 let the ports autonegotiate both speed and duplex.
2 set the port speed and duplex parameters on both ends of the connection.
follow these steps to connect to 10base-t, 100base-tx or 1000base-t devices:
to prevent electrostatic-discharge (esd) damage, follow your normal board and component handling procedures.
step 1 when connecting to workstations, servers, routers, and cisco ip phones, connect a straight-through cable to an rj-45 connector on the front panel. (see figure 2-16.) when connecting to switches or repeaters, use a crossover cable. (see the “cable and adapter specifications” section on page b-5 for cable-pinout descriptions.)
when connecting to 1000base-t-compatible devices, be sure to use a twisted four-pair, category 5 cable.
the auto-mdix feature is enabled by default. for configuration information for this feature, see the switch software configuration guide or the switch command reference.
step 2 connect the other end of the cable to an rj-45 connector on the other device. the port led turns on when both the switch and the connected device have established link.
the port led is amber while spanning tree protocol (stp) discovers the topology and searches for loops. this can take up to 30 seconds, and then the port led turns green. if the port led does not turn on, the device at the other end might not be turned on, or there might be a cable problem or a problem with the adapter installed in the attached device. see chapter 3, “troubleshooting,” for solutions to cabling problems.
step 3 reconfigure and reboot the connected device if necessary.
step 4 repeat steps 1 through 3 to connect each device.
