Okay...I've been digesting the responses I've received about this issue, and
what I've come up with can be reduced to two comments:
1) The fact that flipping the MDI/MDI-X switch didn't initially work leads
me to believe that I wasn't using it right. The fact remains that
connecting a hub to a switch must be accomplished using a crossover cable.
2) Why is that? It's true that connecting devices at different layers of
the OSI model requires a straight-through cable, and that connecting devices
at the same layer requires a crossover cable. So isn't it true that
switches are layer 2, and hubs are layer 1? No. Hubs are actually layer 2
devices, and here's why: while a hub may not understand or care about source
and destination MAC addresses, checksums, or what's in the "type" field, it
*does* know the rules of CSMACD communication, and has to play by the same
rules as other layer 2 devices. Therefore, hubs can be considered Layer 2
devices, and thus must be connected to switches with a crossover cable.
Anyone see anything wrong with my synopsis above? Let me know. Just be
careful with your caps lock key. ;-)
Thanks,
BJ
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