Boot Process on the Network

The auto-negotiation protocol does the following when the system is booted:

• Identifies all link partner-supported modes of operation

• Advertises its capabilities to the link partner

• Selects the highest common denominator mode of operation based on the following priorities (in decreasing order):

  Priority	Line Speed and Mode
  First	100 Mbps, full-duplex
  Second	100 Mbps, half-duplex
  Third	10 Mbps, full-duplex
  Fourth	10 Mbps, half-duplex

The link partner is the networking device (system, Ethernet hub, or Ethernet switch) at the other end of the link or cable.