HUBS & SWITCHES: WHAT FOR
ART THOU?
By Wayne Sheppard
ETEC 562
HUBS & SWITCHES DEFINED
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These simple, affordable but effective small
boxes provide a central connection point for
the networking of multiple computers.
Hubs – small, simple, inexpensive devices
that join multiple computers together at a lowlevel network protocol layer.
Switches-same as hubs, except they operate
with additional intelligence above that offered
by hubs.
Some Characteristics of Hubs
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Require bandwidth to be shared while
switches offer a dedicated connections
Hubs can be managed or unmanaged
Hubs are sometimes referred to
concentrators
A hub is a multi-port repeater
Managed vs. Unmanaged
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Managed hubs are usually not for home use.
They have special networking computers built
into them that do things that you will not need
at home or small office.
They are also more expensive than switches.
Unmanaged hubs and switches are simple
devices that let your Ethernet devices talk to
each other.
Three Types of Hubs
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Passive-These hubs only restrain data
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Active Hubs-They amplify the signal before it
is retransmitted
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Intelligent Hubs-These hubs are stackable
and typically include remote management
support via SNMP, and virtual LAN(VLAN)
support
10/100 Ethernet Hub
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A 10/100 mbps is a good choice for basic
home networks. The 10Mbps and 100Mbps
devices communicate at different speeds,
and the hub allows them to talk. Prices have
come down to under $50, the versatility and
speed of these hubs cannot be beat for the
price.
However, hubs are half duplex-each client
can only send or receive date at a particular
time.
SWITCHES
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Work on layer 2 of the OSI model.
Only forwards data to specific network
segment. This results in multiple, smaller
collision domains, and more efficient
bandwidth usage.
10/100 Ethernet Switch
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A 10/100 Ethernet switch can be considered a faster
version of the 10/100 hub.
Switches allow your Ethernet cards to operate in full
duplex instead of half duplex.
Full duplex means you can send and receive data at
the same time.
Switches also route traffic directly between ports
instead of directing traffic across all ports.
This means that each port on a switch gets
dedicated bandwidth instead of shared bandwidth.
PORT NUMBERS?
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Where port numbers are concerned, consider
an analogy between computer and the
telephone. Port numbers and their associated
network addresses work something like
telephone numbers and associated
extensions.
A port number identifies both a computer and
also a “channel” within that computer where
network communication will take place.
SOUCES
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