NetWiz's TurboSwitch-2000, Fibronics' GigaHub,
and
Xedia's MADswitch 10
all provided MIB (Management Information Base) access via the
front-panel LCD console
. They also let you operate the hub and receive log data, statistics, and diagnostics via the LCD console.
Having to access software via the RS-232 terminal consoles for advanced management tasks is a necessary undertaking (you need access to the device's firmware-based MIB to assign IP addresses to a port on a TCP/IP network) if your switch doesn't have a configurable panel interface. Finding the right cable with the right connectors to fit the switch and the PC--to say nothing of the trouble you might have due to different port pin-outs--can be a challenge.
Configurable port connections:
Fibronics, Cabletron, and
Kalpana
support ways to use both straight-through and cross-connect cables. Typically, straight-through cables (or end-node connections) are used to connect workstations or servers to a hub; cross-connect cables are used to connect hubs to one another. Fibronics' GigaHub has two ports for cross-connect cables, and the last port on Cabletron's ESX-MIM, which is a snap-on port module, allows straight-through or cross-connect port configuration via a slide switch. Also, the first port on Kalpana's EtherSwitch EPS-2115M switch toggles via a push button (easily the most convenient method).
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