I once commented that I really like OS X because the GUI is very functional, easy to use, powerful, etc, but its BSD heart allows me as an administrator to configure and manage the machines with the same ease as my UNIX machines. Can't find it in the GUI? NBD--Just hit up the command prompt.
I noticed some network performance issues, and it seems that the OS X defaults to auto-negotiate for the ethernet card, and it auto-negotiated 100/Half. The switch at the other end is, of course, full duplex.
There is no way to configure this setting. I found a tip that says you can use ifconfig to do it, but as it turns out, while the command appears to work, no change takes place.
Research directly at Apple.com finds me the Read Me file for a G4, which basically says "You can't fix the Mac, you have to set your switch for autosense or half duplex."
So this <^> is for you, Steve Jobs, and your little clan. Fine if you want to protect stupid users from themselves, but if an administrator wants to administer his machine, you preventing him from doing so is a travesty. Don't give me the line from the G3 Read Me: "Your computer works best in half duplex mode." Because it is a LIE. It only works best in HDX if the freaking switch is set to allow it! These computers upload slower than dial-up.
Why not re-configure the switch? Because that involves setting individual ports as 100/Half, and then labelling them as such and making sure no one else uses them. If the Macs are ever moved to another building or suite where they cannot be plugged into those same switch ports, the old switch ports will have to be set back to 100/full and the new switch ports set to 100/Half.
It is much easier to bring these 4 computers into compliance with the other 500 than it is to make special exceptions for them.
I noticed some network performance issues, and it seems that the OS X defaults to auto-negotiate for the ethernet card, and it auto-negotiated 100/Half. The switch at the other end is, of course, full duplex.
There is no way to configure this setting. I found a tip that says you can use ifconfig to do it, but as it turns out, while the command appears to work, no change takes place.
Research directly at Apple.com finds me the Read Me file for a G4, which basically says "You can't fix the Mac, you have to set your switch for autosense or half duplex."
So this <^> is for you, Steve Jobs, and your little clan. Fine if you want to protect stupid users from themselves, but if an administrator wants to administer his machine, you preventing him from doing so is a travesty. Don't give me the line from the G3 Read Me: "Your computer works best in half duplex mode." Because it is a LIE. It only works best in HDX if the freaking switch is set to allow it! These computers upload slower than dial-up.
Why not re-configure the switch? Because that involves setting individual ports as 100/Half, and then labelling them as such and making sure no one else uses them. If the Macs are ever moved to another building or suite where they cannot be plugged into those same switch ports, the old switch ports will have to be set back to 100/full and the new switch ports set to 100/Half.
It is much easier to bring these 4 computers into compliance with the other 500 than it is to make special exceptions for them.
