2
Switching Technology
Another approach to pushing beyond the limits of Ethernet technology is the
development of switching technology. A switch bridges and transmits
Ethernet packets at the MAC address level of the Ethernet protocol, among
connected Ethernet or Fast Ethernet LAN segments.
Switching is a cost-effective way of increasing the total network capacity
available to users on a local area network. A switch increases capacity and
decreases network loading by dividing a local area network into different
segments
. Each
segment
has its own bandwidth and it does not compete with
others for network transmission capacity.
A switch acts as a high-speed selective
bridge
between the individual
segments. The switch forwards traffic from origin segment to destination
segment, without interfering with any other segments. By doing this, the
total network capacity is multiplied, while still maintaining the same network
cabling and adapter cards.
For Fast Ethernet networks, a switch is an effective way of eliminating
problems of uplinking Fast Ethernet hubs beyond the “two-repeater limit”. A
switch can be used to split parts of the network into different collision
domains, making it possible to expand your Fast Ethernet network beyond
the 205-meter network diameter limit. The switch supports both traditional
10Mbps Ethernet and 100Mbps Fast Ethernet, which is also ideal for bridging
between the existing 10Mbps networks and the new 100Mbps networks.
LAN Switching technology is a marked improvement over the previous
generation of network bridges, which were criticized by their higher latencies.
Routers
have also been used to segment local area networks. But, the
router
expensive, difficult to setup, and maintenance intensive, these make it
relatively impractical for the network. Switch, on the other hand, is less
expensive, easier to setup, and practically maintenance free, which make it an
ideal solution to today’s local area network congestion problems.
