5
I
NTRODUCTION
This chapter describes the features of the Switch and
some background information about Ethernet/Fast
Ethernet switching technology.
Industrial Ethernet Technology
The growing importance of Ethernet has extended to the factory
floor and industrial environments before it has become too
harsh for typical commercial grade networking equipment.
VOLKTEK has created the Industrial Series of Switches and
interconnect devices specifically for the purpose of extending
Ethernet to the factory floor and industrial environments. All of
our Industrial Series devices are delivered in a rugged,
hardened case and with components able to withstand a high
degree of vibration and shock and temperatures as high as
70°C. Not an ordinary office switch by any means. The INS-
806 is engineered and designed especially for the harsh,
industrial type environments commonly encountered in heavy
industry. With its redundant DC power inputs and high
performance components, the INS-806 is perfectly suited for an
industrial Ethernet deployment.
Switching Technology
Another approach to pushing beyond the limits of Ethernet
technology is the development of switching technology. A
switch bridge Ethernet packets at the MAC address level of the
Ethernet protocol transmitting among connected Ethernet or
Fast Ethernet LAN segments.
