What is the function of the Auto-Negotiation Button on a media converter?
The Auto-Negotiation (A/N) button enables and disables the Auto-Negotiation feature of the media converter. The media converter uses Auto-Negotiation to determine the duplex mode of the ports. The duplex mode refers to the manner in which an end-node sends and receives data on the network. An end-node can operate in either half- or full-duplex mode. A node operating in half-duplex can either send or receive data, but not both at the same time. An end-node operating in full-duplex can send and receive data simultaneously. The best network performance is achieved when an end-node can operate in full-duplex mode.
In most configurations, you will want to leave the Auto-Negotiation button activated so the unit can determine the appropriate duplex mode, based on the capabilities of the end-nodes. Disabling Auto-Negotiation on the media converter will cause it to assume the end node is capable of only half-duplex operation. |