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upgrade and take advantage of the existing investment in hardware,
software, and personnel training.
Switching Technology
Another key development pushing the limits of Ethernet technology is
in the field of switching technology. A switch bridges Ethernet packets
at the MAC address level of the Ethernet protocol transmitting 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 (LAN). A switch
increases capacity and decreases network loading by making it
possible for a LAN to be divided into different segments which don't
compete with each other for network transmission capacity, giving a
decreased load on each.
The switch acts as a high-speed selective bridge between the
individual segments. It automatically forwards traffic that needs to go
from one segment to another, without interfering with any other
segments. This allows the total network capacity to be multiplied, while
still maintaining the same network cabling and adapter cards.
Switching LAN technology is a marked improvement over the previous
generation of network bridges, which were characterized by higher
latencies.
Routers have also been used to segment local area
networks, but the cost, the setup, and the maintenance required for the
router, make it relatively impractical. Today's switches are an ideal
solution to most kinds of LAN congestion problems.
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