7.2 Scope of the Configuration Guidelines

The configuration guidelines only apply to Ethernet equipment that is built according to the IEEE 802.3 standard, and to Ethernet media systems that follow the recommendations in the standard. If your network system includes Ethernet equipment that does not fully comply with the standard, for example, you may not be able to use the configuration guidelines to verify its operation.

The reason for this is obvious when you consider that the IEEE engineers develop the configuration rules based on the known signal timing and electrical performance specifications of Ethernet equipment that fully conforms to the published standard. That way, the IEEE engineers can predict what the behavior of the Ethernet equipment will be, and how the signal timing will function across multiple segments.

If you use non-compliant equipment and media segments, or if you link media segments together with equipment not described in the standard, then there is no way for the engineers to know how such equipment and media segments will behave. While such an Ethernet may function perfectly well, it will be "outside the standard," and you will not be able to use the configuration guidelines to verify that it meets the specifications for round trip timing, etc. Non-compliant equipment is described in more detail in Chapter 8.

Quick Reference Guide to 10-Mbps Multi-Segment Configuration - 09 SEP 95

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