BROCADE IP PRIMER

Brocade Ethernet Switches & RoutersYou could set all of the devices and switch ports to autonegotiation all thetime. If you do this, you won't have to worry about changing so many settings,certainly. Almost all network equipment (NICs, switches, etc.) are set to autonegotiateby default. The downside is that, unless your equipment is all madeby one manufacturer, you may run into autonegotiation failures that will createduplex mismatches. You may also run into problems with someone bringing inoutside equipment (say, a consultant bringing in a laptop) that is forced to fullduplex(autonegotiation is off).You could set all of the devices and switch ports to be forced to full-duplex allthe time. You won't have to worry about autonegotiation failures this way. It willrequire a lot more setup time, though. All existing switch ports and NICs willhave to be configured to full-duplex. Any new machine or switch will have to beconfigured to full-duplex before it's put into use. And you'd still have the riskmentioned in the previous paragraph. What if a consultant brings in a laptopthat's configured for autonegotiation?Each solution has its advantages and disadvantages. Every experienced engineerwill have his or her preferred method of dealing with the problem.Experience will teach you what is best for you.Well, now we know the technologies. Let's take a look at what Brocade has tooffer us.Brocade Ethernet Switches & RoutersBrocade offers a complete line of enterprise and service provider Ethernetswitches, Ethernet routers, application management, and network-wide securityproducts. With industry-leading features, performance, reliability, andscalability capabilities, these products enable network convergence andsecure network infrastructures to support advanced data, voice, and videoapplications. The complete Brocade product portfolio enables end-to-end networkingfrom the edge to the core of today's networking infrastructures. Tolearn more about Brocade products, visit http://www.brocade.com.Summary• The OSI Reference Model describes how machines can talk to oneanother• The OSI Reference Model consists of seven layers:— Application gets data from the user— Presentation formats the data to a certain standard— Session keeps track of which conversation the data belongs to— Transport makes sure the data gets to its destination— Network decides what path the data will take to get to its destinationon a logical levelBrocade IP Primer 33