simple hub question

[wee96]

Hey guys, I was just wondering because I've forgotten, do you have to use a crossover cable for the uplink port to your hub? That is, if your connecting a server computer to the uplink. I imagine you don't but correct me if im wrong, I don't wanna buy the wrong thing

[toms111]

The uplink port on a hub is to be used to connect to another hub, using a regular cable. It is not normally used to hook to a NIC in a server. On many hubs, the uplink port is shared with one of the other ports, so that if you do use the uplink, you cant use one of the other ports. If you want to hook your server to the hub, just use a regular port and a normal, non-crosover cable.

An uplink does not offer any additional speed or priority which would make it useful to hook up to a server. In reality, its just a regular port crossed over. If you did have a reason to use it to hook up to a computer, you do need to use a crossover cable. What this does is crossover an already crossed over connection, making it the same as a regular cable plugged into a regular port. Hope this helpes!

[wee96]

Thanks, helps alot. So I can just connect three computers into say a 4 port hub, and not even mess with the uplink.

[DougM]

Correct. 3 computers and 4 port hub means you don't need an uplink port nor a crossover cable.

[BC]

though some hubs do have a crossover uplink port. I have a hub here that will take a sraight or crossover in port 8 of an 8 port hub but that is rare and to tell you the truth this hub sucks but it does the job.
But yes the uplink port is used to connect another "network" be it another hub router or whatever.

[HerrBozo]

I'm just picking up connecting all this stuff. Can I verify so I understand?

An uplink port is either an already-crossed-over port, or a port that senses when it needs to cross?

Let's say I have a hub with some machines on it. If I want to connect another hub to this system, I just plug a cable into any port on the original hub, and plug the other end into the uplink port on the new hub (resulting in one "crossover").

It doesn't have to be an uplink port on both ends of the connection, if I understand.

If neither of the two hubs have an uplink port, I could then use a "crossover" cable to the same effect?

Thanks for any clarification/verification.

[DVNT1]

Uplink port is an "already-crossed-over port". Sometimes there is a button to choose the mode of that port (uplink/normal).

Yes, an uplink port means you only need a patch cable (not crossover). Only one port should be using an uplink when connecting to another hub with a patch cable.

"If neither of the two hubs have an uplink port, I could then use a "crossover" cable to the same effect?" Yes.

A crossover cable is nothing special, it just switches the sending and receiving wires on one end.

Keep in mind there are different classes of HUBS and many will NOT function properly if more than two hubs are connected together. You could have packet loss, sometimes only intermittantly.