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Q: What are the differences between the HP ProCurve Switch 4108gl Bundle (J4861A) and the HP ProCurve Switch 4108gl (J4865A)?
The HP ProCurve Switch 4108gl (J4865A) is an unpopulated 8 slot chassis. The HP ProCurve Switch 4108gl Bundle (J4861A) is a bundle of the HP ProCurve Switch 4108gl (J4865A) and the following pre-installed modules: one HP ProCurve Switch GL Transceiver module (J4864A) and three HP ProCurve Switch GL 10/100-TX modules (J4862A or J4862B).
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Q: What are the differences between the HP ProCurve Switch 4108gl and the HP ProCurve Switch 4000m (J4121A)?
The HP ProCurve Switch 4108gl supports up to a maximum of 192 10/100Base-T RJ-45 ports or up to a maximum of 48 100/1000-T ports. The HP ProCurve Switch 4108gl also supports Gigabit-SX, Gigabit-LX, 100-FX SC and Gigabit Stacking connectivity. The HP ProCurve Switch 4000m (J4121A) supports up to 80 10/100Base-T RJ-45 ports or up to 8 100/1000-T ports. The HP ProCurve Switch 4000m (J4121A) also supports Gigabit-SX, Gigabit-LX and 100-FX SC connectivity.
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Q: What modules are supported on the HP ProCurve Series 4100gl switches? Are the supported modules "hot-swappable"?
The following modules are supported in the HP ProCurve Series 4100gl switches:
- HP ProCurve Switch GL 10/100-TX module (J4862A)
- HP ProCurve Switch GL 10/100-TX module (J4862B)
- HP ProCurve Switch GL 100/1000-T module (J4863A)
- HP ProCurve Switch GL Transceiver module (J4864A)
- HP ProCurve Switch GL mini-GBIC module (J4893A)
Modules can be inserted into the switch while the unit is powered on. Inserting a module into a previously unused slot or replacing a module with another of the same type does not require a reboot. Replacing a module with another of a different type requires a reboot of the switch.
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Q: What transceivers are supported in the HP ProCurve Switch GL Transceiver Module used with the HP ProCurve Series 4100gl switches? Are the supported transceivers "hot-swappable"?
The following transceivers are supported for the HP ProCurve Series 4100gl switches:
- HP ProCurve Gigabit-SX Transceiver (J4131A)
- HP ProCurve Gigabit-SX Transceiver (J4131B)
- HP ProCurve Gigabit-LX Transceiver (J4132A)
- HP ProCurve 100/1000-T Transceiver (J4834A)
- HP ProCurve 100-FX SC Transceiver (J4853A)
- The transceivers that are part of the HP ProCurve Gigabit Stacking Kit (J4116A)
To install a transceiver:
- first disconnect any network cabling from the transceiver module
- remove the transceiver module from the switch
- install the transceiver into the transceiver module
- reinstall the transceiver module
Inserting a transceiver into a previously unused slot in the transceiver module or replacing a transceiver with another of the same type does not require a reboot. Replacing a transceiver with a different type of transceiver requires a reboot of the switch.
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Q: Is redundant power supported on the HP ProCurve Series 4100gl switches? Is the Redundant Power Supply "hot-swappable"?
The HP ProCurve Series 4100gl switches supports the "hot-swappable" HP ProCurve Switch Redundant Power Supply (J4839A).
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Q: When I start a console session on my new on HP ProCurve Switch 4108gl, I get the prompt "HP ProCurve Switch 4108gl#". How do I access the menu interface?
The default interface for the HP ProCurve Switch 4108gl is the Command Line Interface (CLI). The CLI is a full-featured interface that can be used to get status information (show commands) and perform configuration changes (configuration context). To access the menu interface, issue the command "menu" from the CLI. Also, using the "setup" command from the CLI or menu interface allows you to configure most of the basic options on the switch such as IP addressing and passwords.
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Q: Is 10/100Mbps auto-negotiation the same as Plug-n-Play?
No. The following configuration will cause severe network problems:
The hub, switch, or router will correctly sense (not auto-negotiate) the 10Mbps or 100Mbps speed. Since the end node was configured for a specific speed and duplex state and therefore does not negotiate, the hub, switch, or router will choose the communication mode specified by the 802.3u standard, namely half-duplex.
With one device running at half-duplex and the device on the other end of the connection at full-duplex, the connection will work reasonably well at low levels of traffic. At high levels of traffic the full-duplex device (end node, in this case) will experience an abnormally high level of CRC or alignment errors. The end users usually describe this situation as, "Performance seems to be approximately 1Mbps!" Often, end nodes will drop connections to their servers.
In this same situation, the half-duplex device will experience an abnormally high level of late collisions.
The network administrator must take care to verify the configuration of each network device during installation. Also, check the operational mode of each network device. That is, check both how you configured it and also that it comes up as you expect, for example, at 10Mbps/half-duplex.
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Q: Is Gigabit Ethernet auto-negotiation the same as Plug-n-Play?
No. By the time the IEEE issued the 802.3z specification, they knew about the 10/100Mbps auto-negotiation problem (see the FAQ "Is 10/100Mbps auto-negotiation the same as Plug-n-Play?"). To prevent it, 802.3z auto-negotiation requires that, if one side of a connection is configured to auto-negotiate, the other side must also auto-negotiate if the connection is to come up. In other words, if a switch is configured to auto-negotiate and its attached end node is configured to, say, 1000Mbps/full-duplex, the 803.2z spec requires that the switch NOT allow the link to come up.
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Q: Can I use category 3 cables with HP ProCurve Switch 100/1000Base-T transceivers or modules?
No, only category 5 100-ohm UTP or STP cables are supported. In fact, for the most robust connections you should use cabling that complies with the Category 5E specifications, as described in Addendum 5 to the TIA-568-A standard (ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-A-5).
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Q: What is the maximum length for cables used with the HP ProCurve Switch 100/1000Base-T products?
The maximum length is 100 meters using category 5, 100-ohm UTP or STP cable. This distance is correct for the IEEE 802.3ab specification.
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Q: How does the HP Auto-MDIX feature work? What HP ProCurve Series 4100gl switch products support this feature?
HP Auto-MDIX is a feature on all 10/100Base-TX and 100/1000-T ports of the HP ProCurve Series 4100gl switch. When configured in the default configuration "AUTO", the switch automatically detects the signaling on the cable from the connected device and operates as either an MDI or MDIX port. As a result, a "straight-through" twisted-pair cable can be used; you no longer have to use "crossover" cables, although "crossover" cables can also be used for any of the connections. The following products support the HP Auto-MDIX feature:
- HP ProCurve Switch GL 10/100-TX module (J4862A)
- HP ProCurve Switch GL 10/100-TX module (J4862B)
- HP ProCurve Switch GL 100/1000-T module (J4863A)
- HP ProCurve 100/1000-T Transceiver (J4834A)
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Q: By default, VLAN support on the HP ProCurve Series 4100gl switch is enabled. Can you disable VLAN support like you can on the HP ProCurve Switch 4000m?
No. VLAN support can not be disabled on the HP ProCurve Series 4100gl switch. By default, all ports are configured in the default VLAN (DEFAULT_VLAN). The following table shows the differences among the HP ProCurve Switch products with respect to VLAN support:
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