2E43-51 Overview2E43-51/2E43-51R User’s Guide1-5When Auto-Negotiation is supported at both ends of a link, the twodevices dynamically adjust to full or half duplex operation based on themaximum capability that can be reached between the two devices. If thedevice connected to the FE-100TX cannot auto-negotiate, the FE-100TXFast Ethernet Interface Module operates according to the capabilities ofthe other device.1.3.4 SmartTrunkSmartTrunk, also referred to as SmartTrunking, is Cabletron Systems’terminology for load balancing or load sharing. SmartTrunk technologyprovides an easy-to-implement mechanism to group, or aggregate,multiple physical links together to scale the backbone bandwidth beyondthe limitations of a single link. All links are user-configurable soadministrators can scale the backbone bandwidth by adding SmartTrunklinks. The SmartTrunk benefits are as follows:• All purchased bandwidth is used.• Distributed, resilient links increase reliability and performance.• Multiple technologies are supported within a single trunk formaximum flexibility.For more information about SmartTrunk, refer to the Cabletron SystemsSmartTrunk User’s Guide.1.3.5 Runtime IP Address DiscoveryThis feature enables the 2E43-51 to automatically accept an IP addressfrom a Boot Strap Protocol (BootP) server on the network into NVRAMwithout requiring a user to enter an IP address through LocalManagement.When the 2E43-51 is connected to the network and powered up, RuntimeIP Address Discovery (RAD) checks the 2E43-51 for an IP address. If onehas not yet been assigned (2E43-51 IP address set to 0.0.0.0), RADchecks to see if any of the 2E43-51 interfaces have a link. If so, RADsends out Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP) and BootPrequests to obtain an IP address from a BootP server on the network.
