Re: Ethernet-Card for Laptop
Russell Coker <russell@coker.com.au> writes:
> >> The issue of Cardbus being required for 100baseT is definately worth
> >> noting.
> >
> >It's also not true. I have a 100baseT PCMCIA card. I haven't tried
> >measuring the actual throughput, but it's definately much faster on a
> >100baseT network than a 10baseT network. (And it's capable of talking
> >on a 100baseT network, which a 10-only card is not.)
>
> 1a) Most 100baseT networks will auto-negotiate to 10baseT if needed.
Only if you have a 10/100 switch that works fine.
On a 10/100 Hub all ports will drop to 10 MBit/s and the network will
be slow. Also all Windows PCs will probably have to be rebooted or
even manually switched to 10 MBit/s in the configuration.
If you have a cheap 100 MBit Hub it might not switch to 10 MBit and
then it doesn´t work at all with a 10 MBit/s card.
> 1b) Those which don't will have spare 10baseT ports anyway.
??? Where from? A switch? Mixed 10/100 MBit networks are
expensive. Its much cheaper to buy a second network card and setup one
linuxbox as gateway, if linux is present, than to have a switch. And
if you have only 100 MBit cards you won´t have 10 MBit switch or
gateway ready.
> 2) If 100baseT on PC-Card is only capable of 20Mb/s as has been suggested
> then it is still capable of being faster than 10baseT while (IMHO) not being
> fast enough to justify extra expense or effort. Also there is the issue of
> the amount of CPU time required for transfers. I expect that CardBus will
> require less CPU time which is something that interests me!
I have one 100 MBit card in my Alpha and a 10 MBit card in my old
PC. Also at work they have a 100/10 MBit network via Linux gateway and
hubs. If I had a 10 MBit card for my Laptop I couldn´t just plug it in
at work, but would have to get a cable connected to the right hub,
i.e. I would have to grab the cable and follow it till I reach the hub
and then maybe plug it into the other one. 10 MBit/s cards can be
realy anoying.
The only problem with 100 MBit cards is that they don´t have a BNC
connector, but who is using BNC only nowadays?
I have a "Fiber Line 16 Bit 10/100 Fast Ethernet" card in my laptop
and it works great.
Only problem is the throughput. On a 100 MBit/s switched network I get
11 MBit/s and a lot of CPU useage. Anything I could configure
differently to make it faster or is that the limit of pcmcia?
May the Source be with you.
Goswin
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