network speed

[tim7]

I may be asking the simplest of questions here but I have been asked about the speed of our network at school and I do not know what its capacity is. Is there a command that will tell me if it is 10/100 or whatever? Could anyone help me to find out this information
Many thanks
Tim

 

[jimbopalmer]

Most ethernet cards that can do 100 have a LED that comes on if it IS doing 100, in similar fashion most switches have LEDs that light or change color if the port is 100.

Software is trickier, the Unix I use has ndd commands but you need to know the interface name. Macs use Apple System Profiler speed and duplex are in the Network Overview. In Windows before 2000, the ethernet control panel is written by the card vendor, and so different for every ethernet card model. There is no general rule that one can give.

Via a protocol called N-way, copper based ethernet set to auto negotiate chooses the fastest speed and duplex both cards can do. You VERY rarely wish to override this. (some Cisco switches are very poor at N-Way and need help, converting copper to fiber also needs manual settings) The major limitation of N-Way is once you, the human, disable it anywhere on a wire, you must have control of each end of that wire.

Switch End Computer End
Auto Auto Works
Auto Full Fails
Auto Half Works
Full Auto Fails
Full Full Works
Full Half Fails but may appear to Work
Half Auto Works
Half Full Fails but may appear to Work
Half Half Works

As you can see leaving it auto is best (since N-way only checks the cards, it sometime is confused by poor wire)

I tried to remain child-like, all I acheived was childish.

 

[DToolsDesigner]

What operating system are you using?


Richard S. Anderson, RCDD

http://www.servamatic.net

 

[tim7]

The server is running win2000 server ans workstations are all win98
Is there no easy method of telling the speed of a network? Perhaps pulling out an nic or visual check on cable which I know is Cat 5e/
Thanks
tim7

 

[jimbopalmer]

as I say, the lights on the cards and hubs are the most reliable. if you look in device manager and get the model of the NIC, the manual is almost always at the vendors site.

I tried to remain child-like, all I acheived was childish.

 

[DToolsDesigner]

If you set your OS to show the icon in the system tray, you can hold your mouse over it and it will tell you what speed you are connected. I know XP does this as does Win 2000 Server.
Right click on the LAN connection and select properties, then check "Show icon in taskbar when connected" when it opens in the taskbar it will show you what hat speed you are connected.


Richard S. Anderson, RCDD

http://www.servamatic.net

 

[franklin97355]

If your network is cat5 it is capable of 100mbs. As for the rest it will depend on each device. If your switch is 100mbs and a nic is 10 then you get ten (or less).

 

[DTSMAN]

In xp and 2000 you can right click on network places and then right click on the local connection and go to status.