On a shared hub all nodes must operate at the same speed, either
10 Mbps or 100 Mbps. Fast Ethernet repeaters provide 100 Mbps of
available bandwidth, ten times more than what is available with a
10BASE-T repeater. Repeaters use a well-established,
uncomplicated design, making them highly cost-effective for
connecting PCs within a workgroup. These are the most common
type of Ethernet hubs in the installed base.
Switched Hubs
In a switched network environment, each port gets a fixed, dedicated
amount of bandwidth.
In a switched environment, data is sent to only the port that leads to
the correct destination station. Network bandwidth is not shared
among all stations, and each new station added to the hub gets
access to the full bandwidth of the network.
If a new user is added to a 100-Mbps switching hub, the new station
receives its own dedicated 100-Mbps link and does not affect the
100-Mbps bandwidth of another station. Switching hubs can
effectively increase the overall bandwidth available on the network,
significantly improving performance.
Chapter 4. Testing Your Adapters and Installing Device Drivers
4-7
Title: ASB3CNTL CreationDate: 07/16/98 18:07:52
