Network Planning
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NXA-ENET24 Hardware Installation Guide
Network Planning
Introduction to Switching
A network switch allows simultaneous transmission of multiple packets via non-crossbar switching. This
means that it can partition a network more efficiently than bridges or routers. The switch has, therefore, been
recognized as one of the most important building blocks for today’s networking technology.
When performance bottlenecks are caused by congestion at the network access point (such as the network card
for a high-volume file server), the device experiencing congestion (server, power user, or hub) can be attached
directly to a switched port. By using full-duplex mode, the bandwidth of the dedicated segment can be doubled
to maximize throughput.
When networks are based on repeater (hub) technology, the maximum distance between end stations is
limited. For Ethernet, there may be up to four hubs between any pair of stations; for Fast Ethernet, the
maximum is two; and for Gigabit Ethernet the maximum is one. This is known as the hop count. However, a
switch turns the hop count back to zero. So subdividing the network into smaller and more manageable
segments, and linking them to the larger network by means of a switch, removes this limitation.
A switch can be easily configured in any network to significantly boost bandwidth while using conventional
cabling and network cards.
Application Examples
The PoE switch is not only designed to segment your network, but also to provide a wide range of options in
setting up network connections. Some typical applications are described below.
MAX A/V Network
The switch is an excellent choice for mixed AMX equipment such as PoE enabled NXA-WAP 200 G wireless
access points, and non-PoE devices such as AVMs, Breakout Boxes and MAX. You can easily build on this
basic configuration, adding direct full-duplex connections to AVMs, Breakout Boxes and WAPs. When the
time comes for further expansion, just connect to another hub or switch via one of the switch’s Fast Ethernet or
Gigabit Ethernet ports. In the figure below, the switch is operating as a MAX A/V network for a small LAN.
FIG. 2
MAX A/V Network
