User`s guide

1-2
Fast Ethernet Network Interface Cards
Fast Ethernet
Fast Ethernet is a networking standard defined by the Institute of
Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) in their IEEE 802.3u
Specification. Fast Ethernet runs at 100 Mbps or at 200 Mbps in Full
Duplex mode.
Fast Ethernet uses the same Carrier Sense Multiple Access with
Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) architecture used on 10BASE-T
and 10BASE-2 10 Mbps network specifications, which allows for
easy integration with existing networks.
Duralink Failover
Duralink
™
Failover provides protection from system failures on Fast
Ethernet servers running mission-critical applications. During a port
failure, Duralink Failover keeps the connection to the server
established by moving all traffic on the affected segment to a
standby Network Interface Card (NIC) or port. When a failure is
detected on the primary port, that port is disabled and a secondary
port takes over to carry the load, and keeps the network running
without interruption.
This Failover operation occurs when any of the following conditions
exist:
■
There is a link loss
■
A watchdog timer expires
■
An abnormal hardware interrupt occurs
■
Abnormal Send/Receive counters, such as too many collisions
or errors, occur on the segment
Supported Platforms and NICs
Duralink Failover is supported for Windows NT
™
and Novell
Netware-based servers.
Duralink Failover is compatible with Adaptec ANA
™
-6911A single
port NIC, ANA-6922A dual port NIC, and ANA-6944A quad port
NIC.